The Legend of Hyrule Hearts- Part 1: Rising Heroes!
by GamesMaster64
Summary: What happens when Link and Sora save the worlds... together? After Destiny Islands are destroyed, Sora wakes up in the Kokiri Forest at the start of Link's journey. The two will travel through the worlds, saving them together. First part of a multi-part story. Follows Child Link's Story in OoT, then KH, the the Adult Story in OoT.
1. Prologue I

**A/N:** Well, this is my first ever crossover fic! As a disclaimer, I own not the Kingdom Hearts series. Sadly, I also have no ownership of Legend of Zelda...

Here is the table of fonts to be used. It'll be updated as I see fit.

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Prologue: A Fairy for Link! The Start of a Grand Journey!**

Kokiri Forest, Hyrule

_Link stared ahead at the walls of Hyrule Castle Town. The sky above was black from rain clouds, the rain falling down and turning the beautiful field into an ominous witness to the events unfolding. The bridge lowered, and out raced a horse, carrying a woman and a girl. The girl looked at Link, her eyes full of fear as the horse passed him up._

_"ZELDAAAA!" Link cries out. Following behind them was a dark man riding on a black horse. He rears the horse when he reaches Link. His left hand raises up, then he points it at Link__._

Before anything else could happen, Link wakes up, drenched in cold sweat. "Phew. Just another nightmare," Link says, sitting upright. He decides to get up, especially when he hears a voice calling out his name.

"Yoo-hoo! Link! Are you awake up there?" Link steps out and sees his best friend, Saria.

* * *

~~Meanwhile~~

"_**Navi... Navi, where art thou? Come hither..." A wizened voice calls out. A small fairy flies up to the tree that spoke the words. "Oh, Navi the fairy... Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree... Dost thou sense it? The climate of evil descending upon this realm... Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule... For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world... But...before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing. It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey... The youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth... Navi...go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me... I do not have much time left. Fly, Navi, fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends upon thee!**_"

The fairy nods in understanding, the flies off toward the Kokiri Village.

* * *

~~Back at Kokiri Village~~

Link decided to forego the ladder, and jumped down to where Saria stood, landing neatly. He got up. "Hey, Saria! What's going on?" he asked her.

Saria just huffed at him. "You show-off! You're gonna get yourself killed one of these days!" she said, then smiled. Just then, Navi flew by and ran into Link's head. The fairy had been traveling so fast, she knocked the Kokiri boy the the ground.

"Ooops… sorry! **Hey!** Are you okay?" she asked, flying down to Link's level.

Link got up, grumbling. Navi could distinctly hear something about "stupid fairies" and "watch where they're flyin'", and "like they own the place". She decided that her news was much more important.

"**Hey! Listen!** The Great Deku Tree wants to see you!" she told Link. Saria gasped in surprise.

"Wow, Link! Not only do you finally get a fairy, but you even get to go see the Great Deku Tree!" she said. "You'd better hurry! I'll see you at the shop later! Don't be late!" she said, taking off toward her house.

Link looked at Navi. "Guess we'd better not keep the Great Deku Tree waiting, eh?" he said. Navi flew in front of Link as he walked, leading him to the Great Deku Tree. However, there was one obstacle… Mido.

"Hey, Mr. No Fairy! Where do you think you're going?" Mido challenged. He started to say more, but stopped when he saw Link's fairy. "What?! You've got a fairy?!" Mido asked in surprise.

Link nodded. "Yeah, now I need to go see the Great Deku Tree... he summoned me, so move out of my way, Mido!" Link replied.

Say what? The Great Deku Tree actually summoned you? Whaaaaaaat?! Why would he summon you and not the great Mido? This isn't funny..." he said, the last comment being made because a couple of the Kokiri passing by were laughing at Mido's reaction.

He then saw that Link had no sword or shield. "I don't believe it! You aren't even fully equipped yet! How do you think you're going to help the Great Deku Tree without both a sword and shield ready?" he asked Link.

Link grew angry. Who did Mido think he was? Link decided to give Mido a piece of his own medicine. "Well, you don't have anything either." Link pointed out. "What? Did the 'Great' Mido finally slip up?"

Mido stared at him in surprise. "What? You're right. I don't have my equipment ready, but... If you want you pass through here, you should at least equip a sword and shield! Sheesh!"

Link walked away, grumbling. He quickly ran through the grass, picking up Rupees. He walked over to the store, where he knew they sold shields. There, Link saw some rocks in front of the store. He decided to help, and was rewarded by the shopkeeper 20 Rupees and a discount coupon. Link stepped inside, and used the coupon to buy a Deku Shield. He then went to the Forest Training Grounds, and crawled into the hole there…


	2. Prologue II

**A/N: Two chapters in one day... man, I'm fire! **

Dislcaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or, sadly, the Legend of Zelda.

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Prologue: Dire Situation! The Heartless Attack!**

Destiny Islands, Scattered Realms

Sora awoke on the beach of the Destiny Islands. He'd had the weirdest dream. He then got up to the sound of a voice chastising him. "I knew I'd find you snoozing down here, Sora!" Sora turned around and faced Kairi.

"No! It's nothing like that, Kairi!" Sora said. "I was in this weird place with glass floors, and this giant monster attacked me!"

Kairi snorted. "You lazy bum, Sora!" she said.

"Yeah, no thanks to you two that our raft is done." Both of them turned around to see a silver-haired boy staring at them, holding a log over his shoulder.

"Hey! Shut up, Riku!" Sora said, getting defensive.

Riku laughed, tossing the log aside. "Sheesh… no need to get all defensive. You're always so uptight, Sora!" Riku replies. Being unable to help themselves, Sora and Kairi both laugh as well.

Sora then stops. "Wait! Did you say the raft is finished?" he asks.

Riku nods in response. "Yep. Again, no thanks to you two." Riku replied.

Sora and Kairi rushed off to the raft. When they arrived, Sora stared in awe. Really, the raft was pathetic looking, but Sora didn't care. It was the culmination of weeks of hard work so they could explore the world. Sora grabbed the flag that they had on the raft and stepped out into the ocean.

"C'mon guys! We're gonna go see the world! Right?" Sora glanced back. Riku and Kairi just shook their heads.

Sora rejoined his friends. Riku stared at the excitable kid. "Well, it'd be best to leave tomorrow. That gives us the rest of today to make sure that everything is prepared properly." Riku said. Kairi nodded in agreement.

The three friends spent the rest of the day preparing everything and just playing.

Sora, at one point, broke away from his friends and went to the Secret Cave. Sora walked in, thinking back on the memories that this place held for him. All the way at the back, Sora approached a wall that had two heads drawn on it. One was Kairi's, and the other was Sora's.

"Before we go…" Sora muttered, picking up a rock. He drew a hand extending from his portrait to Kairi's, and draw a Paopu Fruit in his hand. It was believed that any who shared a Paopu Fruit had intertwined destinies; they'd be a part of each other's destiny, no matter what. He then returned to his friends.

At sunset, the three departed for their homes.

* * *

Later that night, ominous-looking clouds formed over the islands.

Sora stared out his window and saw the clouds. "Looks like a storm is coming…" he muttered. He then sat upright. "Our raft! I'd better go make sure that it doesn't get destroyed!" Sora thought.

He headed out, ignoring the Shadows that formed after him. He first of all went to the bent tree where Riku normally sat. There, he saw Riku covered in darkness.

"Riku! Where's Kairi?" Sora shouted over the wind that had been blowing. Riku turned to his friend. "Don't worry, Sora, Kairi's coming. We don't need to be afraid anymore. Don't fear the darkness, Sora!" Riku said, extending his hand. Sora went to reach for it, but was pulled into the darkness.

_It's so dark… there's nothing… _Sora thought as he floated in the dark. Then, there was a bright flash of light, and he was back on the islands. Riku was nowhere to be found.

Sora then rushed off to the Secret Cave, and there saw Kairi by the drawing. She turned around. Sora saw a strange door behind her, which he and Riku had seen as kids.

"Sora…" Kairi said. Before Sora could do anything, a burst of energy came from the door. Kairi was propelled forward.

"KAIRI!" Sora shouted, holding his arms out to catch her. However, her body seemed to disappear just as it hit Sora. After the energy had dissipated, Sora turned from the cave.

When he went outside, he was confronted by a giant shadow monster.

"Just like in my dream!" Sora said. The creature looked at him, and he was almost engulfed in darkness again. However, a strange voice called out to him.

_**Do not be afraid, for you possess the strongest weapon in the world. **_Sora felt his hand get heavy. When he looked at his hand, he saw that he was wielding a giant key.

"A key? Or is it a sword?" Sora asked himself. _**The Keyblade… the power within you.**_ The voice rang out again. It came from nowhere, but sounded like it came from everywhere.

"Keyblade, huh?" Sora asked. He then charged forward, attacking the Shadows. _**The Darkside is your main concern.**_ The voice pointed. However, Sora had to hack and slash his way through the monsters in order to get to Darkside.

"Don't mess with me! I've been sword fighting with Riku for ages!" he challenged. He then found himself in front of the Darkside. "You're huge! How do I get to you?" he asked.

_**Aim for the eyes. An enemy cannot train one's eyes.**_ "Eyes, eh?" Sora replied. He then flew forward. "Take that!" he shouted, smacking the Darkside in the face. Unlike the Shadows, his blade rebounded. Sora landed, and started to charge forward again.

"You want another one? Here you g-!" he shouted, then was interrupted. The ground below him started to crack, and soon the entire islands disintegrated. Sora fell into an endless black abyss, screaming all the way…

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is when we'll see Sora and Link meet. How will they handle each other? Find out later!**


	3. Chapter 1

**A/N: Review responses and next chapter!**

**To Link234521: Thanks! Glad to know that my story is one that you enjoy! Hope this next chapter meets your expectations! If not, then I at least, had fun writing it!**

Disclaimer: I own neither Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda... lucky Japanese people have that right...

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 1: Chance Meeting! Two Heroes Unite!**

Kokiri Forest, Hyrule

Link emerged from the other side of the hole that he had crawled into. He saw that he had emerged in the Forest Training Maze. Link looked left, then right.

There was a rumbling sound emanating from somewhere, but he couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Then, to his left, a large boulder rounded the corner, rolling on its own power. Link quickly dove out of the way, nearly getting crushed by the boulder.

Navi came out from under his hat. "**Hey! **You need to be more careful! Now, get a sword so we can go see the Great Deku Tree!" she said, disappearing back under his hat.

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" Link said. He then saw a bright light falling from the sky. Something then collided with the ground on the other side of the maze.

Link ran there, making sure to check the boulder's location, in order to ensure that he did not run in front of it. He had no wish to be crushed to death. When Link reached the other side of the maze, he saw two things: a large chest, and a kid with spiky, brown hair. He was wearing large yellow shoes, a white and black overjacket, a red jumpsuit, and a pair of white and yellow gloves. Link also saw that he was wearing a crown necklace. Link cautiously approached. The first thing he did was open the chest. Inside, he saw the Kokiri Sword in its scabbard. Link quickly put on the sword. The boy then began to moan.

* * *

Sora opened his eyes. "Where am I?" he asked. He then got up and saw a boy clad in a green tunic with white undergarments and wearing a green stocking cap on top of a mess of light brown hair staring at him. Sora happened to note that the stranger's eyes were blue like his. He had a sword strapped across his back, and a wooden shield as well. "Who are you?" Sora asked.

* * *

Link stared at him. "I could ask you the same thing." Link then extended his hand. Sora, however, backed quickly away, and summoned his Keyblade.

"Don't try to fool me!" he shouted. After what had happened to him, Sora was not taking any chances that Link was an enemy.

Link quickly drew the Kokiri Sword and his shield. Both of them dropped into attack stances, waiting for the other to move first and create an opening. Navi, fortunately, saw all of this and came out from Link's hat.

"**Hey! Listen!** " the fairy said. "You guys need to work together! Don't ask me how I know, but I think you two are supposed to help each other!" she said.

Sora stared. "A-a-are you a… fairy?" he asked. Navi turned to him. "Well, what else would I be?" she asked him. "You haven't been around long, have you?" she asked.

Navi flew closer. Sora just cringed. "**Hey! **Your ears aren't pointed! Where are you from?" Navi asked him. Link, meanwhile, had turned to leave. Sora and Navi quickly caught up.

"**Hey! **Where are you going?" she asked. Link turned to her with a look of exasperation.

"To the Great Deku Tree, like you asked me to!" Link said. Sora then caught up. He shot Link a confused look.

"You're going to visit… a… tree?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Yeah. Why?" Link was suspicious of this stranger. He had just randomly dropped from the sky and there wasn't even a scratch on him!

Sora just continued to stare. "A… tree…" he repeated. "Why a tree?"

Link stared. "You obviously aren't from around here… the Great Deku Tree is more than your ordinary tree… he's the guardian of the Kokiri, the race that live here. I'm a Kokiri. My name's Link, by the way." Link explained, also introducing himself.

Sora stared. "The outside world… is so mysterious!" he said. He then grinned. "Name's Sora, nice to meet ya!" he said. The boys then crawled through the hole and Navi led them to the path again. Mido was still standing there.

"Sheesh… he just doesn't have anything better to do, does he?" Link asked, approaching Mido.

Mido looked and saw Link and Sora approaching him. He held out his arms, blocking the path.

"Eh, what's that?! Oh, you have a Deku Shield... And what's THAT?! Is that the Kokiri Sword?! Good Grief!" Mido said. He then saw Sora.

"Hey, stranger! Who are you? Are you properly equipped?" Mido said.

Sora grinned, pulling out the Keyblade. "I'm Sora!" he said, grinning.

Mido stared. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp, huh? Shoot! How did you get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree? Huh?!" Mido said, grumbling as he moved out of the way.

The two boys then moved forward. Along the way, the passed a Deku Baba Plant. Sora poked it, despite Link trying to warn him not to. The Deku Baba then sprung up, snapping at Sora as it passed him by, standing straight on end. Sora lept back.

Link sighed. He stepped forth, and unsheathed the Kokiri Sword. He swung at the Deku Baba, killing it. As it disappeared in a puff of smoke, it dropped a stick. Link picked it up, and put it into his belt pouch. Sora stared as the stick disappeared into the tiny pouch.

"How did you do that?" he asked. Link smirked at him.

"Magic pouch…" he replied. Navi then decided to speak some more to the boys.

She first turned to Sora. "**Hey!** Don't you know that the Deku Baba Plant is carnivorous?! You could've been killed! Thankfully you dodged it!" she said. Having said her piece, she disappeared back under Link's hat.

Link turned to Sora. "Let's go." He said. The two then continued down the path. They then emerged into a meadow. In the middle was the biggest tree Sora had ever seen. He stared in awe. "It's… so… _huge_!" Sora said.

Link smirked at Sora's awe. "Sora, meet the Great Deku Tree!" Link said. Navi then flew from under Link's hat, flying over to the one who had sent her after Link.

"Great Deku Tree! I'm back!" She said.

"Oh... Navi... Thou hast returned... Link... Sora... Welcome... Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree,am about to tell thee... Thy slumbers these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares... As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it... Verily, thou hast felt it... Link... Sora… The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?" The Great Deku Tree asked the boys.

Sora nodded. "I'm up for anything!" he said.

Link also nodded. "I'd be honored to help, Great Deku Tree!" Link said, a look of fierce determination crossing his face.

"Then enter, brave Link, and thou too, Sora... I was not expecting the Keybearer to appear. Since thou hast appeared, thou must help Link... Navi, thou shouldst enter as well... Navi the fairy... Thou must aid Link and Sora... and Link, Sora...When Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom..." The Great Deku Tree said, his mouth opening for the three companions to enter.

Sora and Link stepped forth, Navi following behind them, as they stepped inside the Great Deku Tree.


	4. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, another chapter of the Legend of Hyrule Hearts is up! I've decided to have this as a multi-part story. Now, review responses!**

**Captain Rodriguez: Thanks for the compliments! As for Navi's character, I'm going to try to do something interesting (hopefully) to make her less of a flat character, but that's probably not going to happen. As for the story, I think you'll see plenty of changes to the story so that it's not a carbon-copy of the original story.**

**Link234521: Yes, those hints are working quite nicely. I'll be sure to follow your other tips too! As for why I added Navi? Well, would it be a true OoT experience without her? Don't worry, she's only there for the OoT part, and no other fairies are joining in on the fun! I'm glad she's not showing up in Skyfall 007! First off, she'd be kind of hard to place in the story, and her annoyingness would ruin your fic. Here, I didn't see any issues with adding her in.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 2: Save the Great Deku Tree! Navigating the First Dungeon!**

Link and Sora stared once they were in the tree.

"This place… is humongous!" Sora said in awe, staring all around. Link also looked, but unlike Sora, he was looking to observe and see what the surroundings were. Something caught Link's eye.

"Hey, Sora! Look there!" he pointed. Sora followed Link's gaze.

"Huh? What are you looking at?" he asked. Link sighed as he facepalmed.

"In the middle of the floor… see the webbing," he managed to get out without wanting to strangle his partner. Sora still didn't get it. "The webbing…" Link pointed out again. Then, Sora saw it. He ran over to it.

"Man, this looks so cool!" he said. He then jumped onto it, ignoring Link's attempted warning when he saw Sora about to jump. The web acted like a trampoline, as Sora decided to continue jumping. Somehow, Sora ended up landing at an angle, and landed near a Deku Baba bud.

"Hey, man… careful… that's another Deku Baba." Link said, carefully approaching.

"Don't sweat it!" Sora grinned. "I've got nothin' to worry about! These plants come straight up! They can't get me that wa – whoa!" Sora started, but was cut off as the Deku Baba emerged, snapping at him. This Baba's stem was plenty flexible as it lunged at Sora, hoping to get an early kill so it could enjoy lunch in peace. _Thunk!_ Sora looked up to see the carnivorous plant recovering from the collision against Link's Deku Shield. The Baba then hissed at Link, who responded by drawing the Kokiri Sword, which made a ringing noise as it was withdrawn from the sheath. In response, two more Deku Babas popped out of the ground, surrounding Link and hissing, expecting lunch.

"Take that!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade and attacking one of the Babas. The plant was felled easily, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Link dodged one of the other Babas, and cut it with his sword, severing the plant from its bulb. This plant also disappeared in a puff of smoke. As the third Baba tried to attack Link from behind, Sora threw his Keyblade at it.

**Strike Raid!**

The Baba stiffened, then fell defeated. Link put his weapons away and walked to where the three plants were, collecting the bounty of their victory: six Deku Nuts.

"Nice job, Sora!" he said, as Sora dispelled the Keyblade, which had come back to him. Sora stared at the Deku Nuts as Link put them away inside his magic pouch.

"Ummm… what are those?" Sora asked.

"Deku Nuts… very useful items, but I'll show you that later." Link said. He then stepped over to a part of the wall that was covered in vines. "C'mon, Sora. I'm guessing that since we can't go down, we go up." Link started to climb up the wall, with Sora following. At the next level, Link and Sora followed the walkway. There, they saw a small chest. After Link opened it, he found 20 Deku Seeds.

"More Deku Nuts?" Sora inquired, staring as Link put them away. Link shook his head.

"Nope. These are Deku Seeds." He handed one to Sora, who noted that it was smaller and harder than a Deku Nut. "Feel how hard they are. They make great projectiles… if only we had something to launch them from…" he muttered.

"Hey, Link! I found another section of wall to climb!" Sora said. Link came over. Before Sora could start up, Link stopped him. "What did you do that for?" Sora asked. Link motioned for him to be quiet. Sora then heard a scratching noise coming from above. "What's that noise?" he asked Link, who just motioned up. There, Sora saw what looked like spiders; the three creatures were clinging to the vines and rotating about slowly, as if they were keeping watch for intruders to their resting place. Sora then saw a Skull design on the backs of the creatures. "W-w-what are those… those… things?" he asked, backing away. Navi popped out of Link's hat.

"**Hey!** Don't you know? Those are Skullwalltullas! If we try climbing up, they'll attack us! They're very sensitive to movements along any vines or walls that they nest on, so we can't just sneak past. We'll need to find a way to defeat them to move on!" she said. She then looked further down the walkway, which sloped gently up before leading to a door. "Over there! Maybe something's there!" she said, then disappeared back beneath Link's hat. Link and Sora walked away, the scratching noises growing fainter. They approached the door, and Link pushed it up. When they entered, they saw a shrub in the room. On the other side was a door with metal bars running vertically in front of it, preventing it from being opened. As they entered, the door slammed shut and was locked in a similar manner.

"Now what?" Sora groaned. Almost as if he was heard, a Deku Scrub popped out. It shot a Deku Nut at Sora, then retreated back underground.

"Oww! That hurt, ya know!" Sora said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where the nut collided. Link simply picked up the Nut and pocketed it.

"Lousy Deku Scrubs… always causing trouble…" Link muttered. As the scrub popped up again, it laughed and spat a seed at Link. Reacting quickly, Link pulled out his shield and deflected the nut back at the attacker. The Nut hit the Scrub, and it ran around. Sora got angry. "No more Mr. Nice Guy!" he said, summoning his Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade whirled through the air, striking the scrub. "Owie! That hurt! I'll let you pass and I promise not to hurt anyone ever again!" it said. It then dropped a slingshot as it ran back to its nest and burrowed back in. This time, it did not pop out. Link picked up the slingshot.

"Cool! Now we can defeat the Skullwalltullas!" Link said, pocketing the slingshot. Both decided not to venture into the other room of the Deku Tree, instead going back to the now-empty chest. Link pulled out the slingshot and a Deku Seed. He fitted the seed into the pouch, and pulled it back. Link then took aim at a Skullwalltulla, and let go of the pouch. The seed flew through the air, making a slight whistling noise. The seed hit its mark with a satisfying _crunch!_ Link quickly dispatched of the others. "Well, now we can climb up." Link said. He and Sora climbed the vines, eventually moving to another path on the left. Sora almost walked toward a part of the path that jutted out to the webbing below, but looked up. Fortunately he did, because a Giant Skulltulla dropped down from the ceiling. Sora leapt back, summoning his Keyblade. He tried to attack it, but the hard outer shell of the Skulltulla protected it. It turned around, and Link slashed it with his sword. The Skulltulla fell, disappearing as it did so.

Navi decided to educate Sora on the Skulltulla. "**Hey!** Be careful when attacking a Giant Skulltulla! All Skulltulla have hard outer shells to protect them! You need to attack their abdomen!" she said. Sora nodded, filing the info away for future use.

"Looks like we have no other choice but to jump," Link said. Sora looked over to see Link staring down a part of the platform sticking out above the web. Link turned to Sora. "I'll go first." Link volunteered himself, and then prepared to jump. He took a deep breath, then lept off of the abutment, feeling gravity take over as he fell straight down.


	5. Chapter 3

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 3: Save the Great Deku Tree! Battle with the Queen Gohma!**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream was Link, as he fell, faster and faster toward the first floor of the Great Deku Tree. He then felt something soft beneath him. Link looked and saw the web. It stretched down, and for the briefest moment, Link prayed like mad to the Goddesses that it would not fling him back up. Then, the web broke, and Link was screaming as he fell down farther.

SPLOOOOSH!

He'd landed in some water. He swam out of the way as he heard more screaming. Soon, another big splash followed as Sora fell and hit the water. He floated up to the surface, moaning in pain.

"Oww… that water hurts…" he muttered. Link nervously laughed.

"Yeah… fortunately for me, I had the web to protect me…" he said.

The boys then swam out onto a platform. There, they saw the way forward was blocked by more webbing. This time, it ran from the ceiling to the floor. The only other thing nearby was a torch that was burning brightly in the gloom. Sora stared.

"Now what do we do?" he asked. "We need to go forward." He turned and saw Link deep in thought. "Yoohoo! You there? Hyrule to Link!" he said, waving his hand in front of Link's face, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Hang on. I know how we can get through…" he said. He then pulled out a Deku Stick, and walked over to the torch. He thrust one end into the flames, then quickly ran it over to the webbing, and burned it away. He then threw the stick in the water, extinguishing it. Sora stared at Link and grinned.

"Nice thinking!" he said, as the pair walked through the doors. Link smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, the only issue with that is the stick is virtually useless for anything after that." he replied. The next room made both of them gulp. There was a pool of water and a moving platform, that led from where they were to the other side of the room. That was no issue. They also saw what was a giant metal cylinder that was rotating round and round. Still not an issue. The real issue was the fact that the cylinder was covered in spikes. Link looked and saw a switch in the water.

"Are you a good swimmer?" he asked, turning to Sora. Sora laughed. "Are you kidding me? Back on the Destiny Islands, Riku and I would swim and race each other…" Sora said, trailing off at the memory of his lost friends. Link saw the look and put a hand on his shoulder. Sora looked over and saw Link grinning.

"Don't worry! You'll find 'em! And I'll help!" he said. "After all, you're helping me, aren't you?" Soon, Sora was grinning too.

"You're right! Why am I worrying? Soon, Kairi, Riku, and me… we'll be back together, and we'll explore the world!" he said, wiping away the start of tears from his eyes. He turned back to Link. "Thanks! You're a real pal, ya know?" he said. Link only smiled in reply.

"Yeah, but right now we got bigger fish to fry. Like saving the Great Deku Tree!" Link said. Sora nodded. He then dove into the water, and pushed the switch. This caused the water level to fall. Sora resurfaced, and climbed onto the platform. Link then jumped on when it had moved within range. Both of them had to lay flat to avoid getting turned in to paté by the machine.

"That was too close." Sora said, jumping from the platform.

"Yeah. I was afraid we were gonna be Gohma food back there." Link agreed, following Sora's lead and leaping off of the platform. The next door was big and had intricate and ornate carvings on it. Navi popped out of Link's hat.

"**Hey! **That must be where the creature resides, the one that the Great Deku Tree has been cursed with!" she said. Link and Sora looked at each other.

"You ready, Link?"

"Oh, yeah. I was born ready!"

They then opened the door and stepped inside. They looked. They saw nothing. It was pitch black inside. Navi, who had retreated under Link's hat, was causing the hat to have a faint glow. They boys took a few minutes to search the room, but the only things that were even remotely interesting were four pillars in the room. Sora then looked up… and screamed.

"LINK! LOOK ABOVE US!" Sora was shouting, and pointed up. Link followed and saw a giant, yellow eye. The creature dropped down, and the darkness cleared. The sheer size of the creature was enough to turn Link's blood to ice. The creature was easily a foot taller than Link, and had four appendages. Her eye turned briefly red before returning to normal. Navi popped out of Link's hat.

"**Hey! Listen, guys!**" she said. Link and Sora decided to listen and not complain, which was a first. Navi then introduced them to their enemy:

**Parasitic Armored Arachnid, Queen Gohma**

Navi continued telling them about their new enemy. "Nothing we have can penetrate her armored skin... That means that her weak point must be her eye!"

"No problem!" Sora said, summoning the Keyblade. He took aim, and threw it at the Gohma.

**Strike Raid!**

The attack bounced off the eye harmlessly, even though the teeth of the blade had hit the eye dead on. The Queen Gohma rushed at the two, bowling them over. She then crawled up the wall and then to the ceiling. She crawled across, then four things dropped down. Shortly after, they hatched.

"Sora! Those were eggs. Kill the Gohmas! Maybe we can draw her down here, then strike!" he said. The boys made quick work of the babies, and the Queen dropped down. Her eye turned red, and Sora flung his Keyblade again at the eye.

**Strike Raid!**

This time, the Queen was stunned. Link slashed multiple times with the sword. However, the Gohma recovered her composure, and started to crawl back onto the ceiling.

"Oh, no, you don't! Down, girl!" Link said. Sora looked over at him like he'd gone nuts, but then saw Link had a Deku Nut in his hand. "Close your eyes, Sora!" However, Sora's curiosity got the better of him. Link threw the Deku Nut down on the floor, and it exploded in a white flash. The flash blinded Sora and the Gohma. She dropped from the floor, stunned. "How many times have I told you to stay…" Link started, striking her with the Kokiri Sword, "…off…", another strike, "…the ceiling!?" he grunted as the finished off the monster. The Queen Gohma shrieked as she shriveled up into nothing. Sora had finally managed to recover. He turned to Link.

"Owww… that's why you told me to close my eyes…" he muttered. Link sighed.

"Well, I guess that if any good came of your stupidity, it's that you'll now be immune to the effect." He said. He then pointed to a strange portal that had appeared where the Queen Gohma's body had disappeared. "What say we get out of here. This place is kinda gloomy for me." He gestured. Sora nodded, and both stepped into the portal. When they opened their eyes, the were outside.


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, here's another chapter of Legend of Hyrule Hearts up! This one's a little longer, and I'm pretty happy with the length of it... hopefully, the future chapters will be around this length, but may be a bit longer. No reviews to respond to this time (sad face), but I would like you guys to tell me how I'm doing!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Trip to Hyrule Castle! The Peril of Nightfall!**

After Sora and Link reappeared, the Great Deku Tree spoke to them.

"_**Thou hast done well… Link and Sora… Though thou hast defeated the monster that ravaged me from the inside, I was doomed from the start. Now, it is my duty to tell thee of thine destinies… Listen closely…**_" Link and Sora nodded, sitting down in the grass. They then listened to the tale the Great Deku Tree told them.

"_**First, in order to understand thine destinies, thou must understand from whence Hyrule came. Link, this story is mostly for thine ears, but it would benefit thou to pay attention as well, Sora.**_" Both boys nodded.

"_**It started long before anything came into existence. Three Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. The Three Golden Goddesses were Din, the Goddess of Power; Farore, the Goddess of Courage; and Nayru, the Goddess of Wisodom. Using their powers, the three Goddesses created all that can be seen. Din, using her strong arms, carved out the shapes of the land, from the valleys to the hills. Nayru, using her wisdom, created laws that would govern the land. Farore, using her strong will, created the creatures that would uphold the laws, including all the flora and fauna of the world. When their work was done, the three Goddesses departed to the heavens, meeting at a single point before the departure. At the place where they departed, a Golden Treasure of immense power was formed: the Triforce. Soon after, the first men began to fight over the Triforce, as anyone who obtained it would have their wishes granted. The Sages of the time decided to seal the Triforce in a sacred realm and placed it under a potent seal. A part of the key to the seal is the Kokiri Emerald.**_" The Great Deku Tree paused his narrative at this point to pull out a green gem that had a golden swirl to it: the symbol of the Kokiri.

"_**It is for the Kokiri Emerald that an evil desert man dressed in black placed the curse on me. He had hoped to get his hands on the Emerald, but cursed me when I refused to give it up.**_" The Deku Tree gave the Emerald to Link.

"_**Here, Link. Take this Emerald. When I am finished here, thou must take the Emerald to the Princess of Destiny at Hyrule Castle. There, thou will learn more of thine quest.**_" Link nodded, taking the Emerald and placing it in his pouch.

"_**Now, please be sure to protect the Emerald, brave Link. It is for that Emerald that the desert man cursed me, leading to my end. Yes, even though thy efforts to slay the monster were successful, I shall soon pass from this land. Grieve not, for I was able to tell thee of these most important things.**_" The Great Deku Tree addressed Sora next.

"_**Sora, the only thing that I am able to tell thee is that for now, thou must follow Link and aid him whenever you can. Eventually, thou will become key in combating darkness elsewhere, but not here in Hyrule. The Goddesses have chosen Link as the defender of this land, but thou hast been chosen by the Keyblade for a reason, though that reason evades my sight. Perhaps the Princess of Destiny can help thee more, Sora.**_" Sora nodded. He didn't have any issues helping Link if it would get him reunited with Riku and Kairi! The Great Deku Tree had one last thing to say the boys.

"_**I only have one more thing to say to the both of you. The women of thine destinies… are not who… they would… appear… to be… keep… that info… in mind… Now, my time… has come… to a close… goodbye… Link… Sora… Navi…**_" With those parting words, the Great Deku Tree passed, his bark becoming darker, the leaves wilting, and the "face" of the Deku Tree taking on what looked like a sad look.

Navi approached the Great Deku Tree. "Great Deku Tree… goodbye… I'll miss you…" she muttered. She then turned back to the boys. "**Hey!** We should get going!" She then disappeared back under Link's hat, somehow back to her cheery self. Link turned to Sora. "Well, I guess we go to Hyrule Castle, then!" he said, leading Sora back to the village. When they came from the path, they were stopped by a blonde-haired girl.

"Link? What happened?" she asked, concern in her voice. Link sighed.

"Fado… he's gone… he's dead…" he said, sadness in his voice. Fado's jaw dropped.

"Wh-who's gone? Who's dead?" she asked. Link could only respond with one name.

"The Great Deku Tree…" he muttered, moving past the girl who stood there in shock. Sora could only give her a saddened look before following his friend. Link decided he would go and pick up some supplies from the shop before heading out. When they got to the shop, they were confronted by Mido.

"What did you two do?! I knew I shouldn't have let you past! That's what I get for letting a loser and a weirdo go visit the Deku Tree…" he muttered.

"I didn't do it. Now, move, Mido. Sora and I have business in the shop, then we're outta here." Link replied, pushing past the Kokiri. Sora followed, stepping inside the shop after Link. Inside, Link bought 10 Deku Sticks and 20 Deku Nuts. The two then left the shop and headed for the exit to the Kokiri Forest. Along the way, they heard some of the other inhabitants talking about what had happened at the Great Deku Tree, and that Mido was blaming them for his death. From what Sora could hear, no one seemed to believe it, as they knew that Mido was jealous of Link, and Sora hadn't been here long enough to cause any problems. A few even noted that Sora seemed like a nice guy. They two then headed out, crossing the old suspension bridge that separated the Kokiri Forest from the outside world. Link stopped, and Sora almost bumped into him.

"Anything wrong, Link?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"Nah… just remembering something the Great Deku Tree told me…" he stated. Seeing the confused look on Sora's face, Link elaborated. "It's always been told that any Kokiri who leaves the safety and protection of the Kokiri Forest will die." Link explained. He laughed. "I guess I must be different somehow, for the Great Deku Tree to ask me to leave the forest." He guessed. They boys started to continue, but were stopped by a female voice.

"Link…" Both turned around to see Saria standing on the bridge. "Link… tell me, are you leaving?" she asked, brushing back some of her green hair. Link could only nod. Saria then handed Link an Ocarina. "Here, take this Fairy Ocarina." She said. Link stared at it, dumbounded.

"Are you sure, Saria? I thought this was your favorite Ocarina?" he asked, staring at the instrument. Saria nodded.

"It is, but I want you to have it… as a memento!" she said. She then turned to Sora. "You said your name was Sora, right?" she asked. Sora nodded. "Okay, Sora! Keep an eye out for Link, okay?" Sora smiled.

"No problems! I promise I'll keep an eye on him!" he said, surprised that Saria addressed him as she would an old friend like Link. Saria laughed.

"Okay! I want both of you to take it easy, okay? You guys meet me at out secret spot later, okay?" she asked. She turned to Link. "You remember how to get there, right?" Link nodded. Saria then turned back to Sora. "If he forgets, just remember to follow the music!" she told him. She then waved goodbye, and turned back to the village. The two then turned to leave the forest.

Out in Hyrule Field, the two were stopped again, this time by a giant owl sitting in a tree. "Hoo-hoo! Link! Sora! Up here, hoo-hoo!" it cried as the boys looked around for the source of the noise. They looked up and Sora's eyes bugged out of his head as he saw the owl.

"Man… this place is _really_ weird… now only do owls talk, but this one's _huge!_" he said to Link. The owl laughed in response.

"Hoo-hoo! Don't be so surprised, Keybearer! I am not like any ordinary owl!" he told them. "My name is Kaepora Gaebora, and I'm here to help you-hoo!" he introduced himself, turning his head upside down. "Up ahead, if you keep to a northern heading, you will come across Hyrule Castle. Hoo! It's at this castle that you'll meet the Princess of Destiny! Hoo-hoo! Good luck to you two-hoo!" With those parting words, Kaepora Gaebora flew off to the east after righting his head. The boys stared, then turned to each other.

"What was that all about?" Sora asked. Link shrugged, and the boys continued. Sora decided to ask Link a little more about the Kokiri. In particular, he wanted to know why Mido acted the way he did. Link then told him about the Kokiri.

The first thing Link told Sora was that the Kokire were a race of children who never aged. They lived in a village in the Kokiri Forest, under the protection of the Great Deku Tree. Every Kokiri were also given a fairy guardian by the Great Deku Tree. Link took the time to explain that all Kokiri looked up to the Great Deku Tree as a father figure, which is why many of them were so crushed at his death. Indeed, the old tree was the only parent figure that the Kokiri had ever known, aside from their fairy guardians. He then digressed to say that the fairy's main purpose was to keep the Kokiri from harm: keeping them away from dangerous monsters that prowled the forest like Deku Baba's and Wolfos, keeping them from straying too far from the forest, among other things.

Next, Link told Sora of a boy who had lived with the Kokiri as a Kokiri, but did not have a fairy. That boy then received a summons from the Great Deku Tree via a fairy. Sora was able to guess that it was Link. His partner nodded when he brought up the answer.

The two boys then reached the top of a particularly steep hill that they were climbing. When they reached the top, they were able to look out at the vastness that was Hyrule Field… well, what could be seen at any rate. The field seemed to stretch forever, and both boys guessed it would take someone a few years to explore it all and that was without going and exploring the various towns and villages that must also exist. Link and Sora saw what looked like a good-sized ranch to the northwest, but what interested them was due north: a castle whose figure cut a grand figure into the horizon, towering turrets stretching toward the sky almost as if to try and pluck the stars themselves out of their heavenly roosts in the sky.

"That must be Hyrule Castle…" Sora said. Link nodded.

"Has to be… I don't see any other castles here…" he said, turning a full 360° both to get a full view of the field, both to check for any other buildings. The only figure that cut a more imposing look was that of a volcano to the east of the castle. The boys then continued their hike, chatting about many things. Link told Sora what else he knew about Hyrule, Navi filling in the blanks a little more verbosely than she needed to. In turn, Sora told Link about his childhood and growing up on the Destiny Island with his friends Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Riku. He told of the days they would spend playing and fighting, each trying to outdo the others. He also told of the day that another friend Kairi, arrived. They'd guessed that she was from a different world, but they didn't know for sure. They had no way of finding out as Kairi had no memory of her life before she appeared on the islands. Sora then told Link of the invasion and destruction of his home, and how he became separated from Riku and Kairi.

"Man, that sounds rough… losing your home like that…" Link said. Sora just nodded. Link smiled. "I'm sure that your friends are alive and well, looking for you right now!" Link tried to cheer Sora up. It seemed to work, as Sora perked up.

"Ya know, you're right!" he said. He then notices that it was getting darker, and pointed the fact out to Link. The Kokiri boy nodded, having noticed the approaching darkness himself. He checked their position, and saw that they were about three-quarters of the way to the castle.

"We'll have to stay here for the night…" Link said. Navi took this opportunity to reappear from underneath Link's hat.

"**Hey!** You need to be careful at night. Stalchildren have been popping out of the ground at night! They're not much of a threat alone, but they can be troublesome in groups. Be careful about defeating them, though. If you defeat too many, larger ones will eventually come out!" Having given her warning, she popped back under Link's hat. Sora turned to Link.

"Well, now what?" he asked. After discussing the issue, they decided to take turns keeping watch and sleeping. Sora took the first watch, and Link settled down on the ground and was soon asleep. As Link slept, Sora kept an eye out for anything that looked hostile. Halfway through his watch, Navi joined Sora, having sensed something.

"**Hey**, Sora! Look that way!" she said, pointing to the Keybearer's left. Sora followed her gaze and saw to person-shaped objects heading toward their position. "Those are Stalchildren!" she warned. She then launched into another verbose mini-speech. "Actually, the term 'Stalchild' –the singular form in case you didn't know– is actually a misnomer. The Stalchildren aren't children at all, they're just cursed soldiers." Navi told Sora, who had summoned his Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade whirled through the air, decimating the skull of the first Stalchild. As Sora's Keyblade came back, it struck the second Stalchild in the head, defeating it as well. Sora caught the Keyblade, dispersing it for now. The rest of Sora's watch was uneventful. When it was time for Link's watch, Sora shook him awake. Link awoke almost instantly, and got up, allowing Sora to lay down where he had slept. Somehow, Sora had managed to fall asleep immediately after laying down. While Sora's watch had been quiet, except for the two that attacked, which allowed Sora to rest; Link had to fight Stalchild after Stalchild in waves of threes and fours. As soon as one group was down, another one replaced it. After slaughtering quite a few regular-sized Stalchildren and a few that were about half-a-foot taller than Link, a really large one came out that was taller than the castle walls. As Link was about to get Sora up for backup, the sun came up. All the Stalchildren in the area, including the big one, burrowed their way back underground. Link woke Sora up and the two continued their journey in earnest. Around midday, the two finally arrived at their destination: Hyrule Castle Town. The inhabitants were abuzz about the activity of the Stalchildren the previous night, but fortunately no one connected Link and Sora with the unusual occurrence. The two made their way north to the castle, but were stopped by the castle guards.

"You two! Yeah, you children! Halt! You are not authorized to go to the castle!" One of the castle guards had spotted them. The two turned back to Castle Town, grumbling and muttering threats to the guard. Link swore to the Goddesses that he would cut the man's throat out and feed it to the Wolfos, but he knew he was dreaming. After all, he was just a kid who had very little combat experience while the guard was a trained soldier.

Back at Hyrule Castle Town, the two boys discussed their next move. After all, they had to get to the Princess. Sora brought up the idea of telling the guards what had happened and showing them the Kokiri Emerald, but Link was against it. Showing off the Emerald would either make the guard confiscate it to sell it for a neat profit in Rupees, or it would alert the man the Deku Tree had told them about: the desert man in black. Sora realized Link was right.

"I had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy. When I heard that talking tree tell us to just waltz into the castle, I knew there was going to be something to slow us down." Sora said. Link sighed.

"Guess we'll just have to sneak in…" he muttered. The two looked at each other and nodded. They were going in.


	7. Chapter 5

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Princess of Destiny! Ganondorf's Evil Plan!**

Having resolved that they were going to get inside Hyrule Castle one way or another, Link and Sora set out for the castle again. This time, they approached slowly.

"Hey!" a voice called out to the boys. They froze in terror, but soon realized that the voice didn't belong to a guard. They looked over and saw a young girl standing by a vine the led up the side of one of the cliffs. They decided to go over to her. "Hey! Glad you came over! Are you two boys going to the castle?" the girl asked them. Link and Sora nodded in response. The girl giggled. "Oh, goodie! While you're there, could you see how my father is doing?" she asked. "He went into the castle to deliver some milk yesterday, but he hasn't come out." The girl explained upon seeing the confused looks on the boys' faces. Sora nodded.

"Sure! We'll look for him!" he said. Navi came out from underneath Link's hat.

"**Hey! Sora!** Did you forget our mission?" she asked. Sora shook his head at the fairy.

"It shouldn't take too long, then we can continue on our mission!" he replied. Navi sighed in defeat, then disappeared back under Link's hat, muttering curses under her breath. The girl giggled.

"Was that a fairy?" she asked. Link nodded in response, which caused her to giggle again. "Oh, neat! I've always wanted a fairy!" she said. Sora was about to offer Navi, then remembered that she knew more about their journey than either himself for Link. The girl then realized that she didn't know their names, and they didn't know hers. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! How rude of me! My name is Malon! I help my dad, Talon, run the Lon Lon Ranch! Maybe you saw it on the way here?" she said. Link then introduced himself and Sora.

"My name is Link, and my friend's name is Sora." Malon giggled.

"What funny names!" she said. She then handed Link an egg. "Here, Fairy Boy! Take this egg! I'll give it to you since you decided to help me… and since you're pretty cute, too!" she giggled. Link took the egg and put it in his trusty pouch.

"Errmm… Thanks… I guess…" Link muttered in reply. Somehow, this girl had completely thrown him off. Link and Sora then decided to see if they could sneak in by climbing the vine next to the girl. Link went first, and found that the vine would hold their weight. After Link climbed up, Sora followed suit. Even though he experienced some difficulty due to his overly-large shoes, Sora managed to make it to where Link was.

"What was that all about?" Sora asked Link. Link shook his head.

"You know, I'm not too sure…" he replied. Sora nodded.

"Well, let's see if we can make it inside the castle!" he said. Link nodded, and led the way past the guards. Somehow, they managed to make it past them all. Sora walked up to one of the castle's entrances and was about to open the door until Link stopped him. "What?" Sora asked. "Aren't we supposed to go to the castle?" he asked. Link merely shook his head.

"You are unbelievable…" he said. Sora just had a confused look on his face. Link sighed. "Did the thought ever cross your mind that there just _might _be a guard behind the doors?" he asked. Sora stopped to think about that.

"You know, that makes sense…" he muttered. He was startled when Link suddenly jumped into the small artificial stream that was nearby. Sora looked around and saw a guard rounding the corner. Sora hastily jumped into the stream as well. Fortunately, the guard neither saw nor heard the boys and continued on his patrol. The two boys swam against the weak current. When they saw it was safe, they climbed out of the stream. There, they saw a man sleeping on the pavement. Looking around, Link also saw a hole in the castle wall that served as a source for the stream. However, they only issue to making it across was the fact that the man was sleeping near the drop into the stream, and he was positioned right in front of the hole.

"How do we get him to move?" Link asked. Sora then faintly heard a rooster's call.

"Uhh… Link… did you hear that?" he asked. Link nodded, then checked his pouch. To Sora's surprise, he pulled out a full-grown Cuckoo. Sora's eyes bugged out of his head. "That's weird!" he said. Link nodded and shook the Cuckoo, causing it to cry out again. It seemed to do the trick.

"Huh? What in tarnation?" he asked, looking around. He was hit with a sudden realization. "Oh, no! I've been sleeping on the job! I've been keeping Malon waiting! I'd better get going. I'm really gonna catch it from her now!" he said. He saw Link and Sora. "Hey, thanks for wakin' me up! Stop by Lon Lon Ranch sometime! I'll have a surprise for ya!" he said, taking off at high speed back to Hyrule Castle Town. With the way clear, Link lept across the gap to the hole in the wall, somehow managing to get a grip on the wet stone. He crawled into the hole, soaking his clothing in the process. Sora followed his partner, squeezing through the hole as he wasn't as small as Link. Once inside, both boys saw it was a courtyard. Sora was about to marvel at it, but Link silenced him.

"There are guards here! Let's see if we can sneak past them! Then we can get into the castle!" Link whispered. Sora nodded. The two boys managed to sneak past all of these guards as well, though they had a close call when Sora had to sneeze. Fortunately, the guard walked away from the brush wall they were hiding behind, muttering about how his job was driving him crazy. When they got to the innermost part of the courtyard, Sora and Link saw a blonde-haired girl wearing a royal dress. She turned around and saw Sora and Link.

"Oh, you were in my dreams!" she said. Link and Sora hesitated.

"What a weird greeting…" he muttered. The girl heard him. "I'm sorry! I was so taken by shock, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zelda Hyrule, Princess of Hyrule." She introduced herself. "May I ask your names?"

"I am Link, from the Kokiri Forest."

"My name is Sora, from the Destiny Islands!"

"So, you _are_ them!" Zelda gasped. Link and Sora both adopted confused expressions. Zelda giggled, deciding to elaborate. "I've seen both of you in my dreams. I dreamed that dark clouds covered the land of Hyrule. Then, a light shot out from the forest. From the light, I saw a boy dressed in green followed by a fairy carrying the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. I also saw another beam of light from an unknown source. Then, next to the green-clad boy I saw a boy wielding what looked like a giant key-like blade." Link reacted by reaching into his pouch. As the princess watched, Link pulled out the Kokiri Emerald.

"Is this the Spiritual Stone of the Forest?" he asked. Zelda nodded. Sora summoned his Keyblade next.

"And was this they key you saw?" Zelda nodded affirmatively. She giggled as Link put away the Kokiri Emerald and Sora dispelled his Keyblade.

"You know, it's funny… but I think I can trust you two…" she said. She then motioned for the boys to approach the window where she stood. The two boys obeyed. She motioned for the two to look through the window, which they did. There, they saw a dark-skinned man dressed in black bowing down on one knee. They turned to Zelda. "His name is Ganondorf. He is the leader of a desert race called the Gerudo. He claims to have sworn allegiance to my father, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, better known as the King of Hyrule." Zelda explained, then decided to continue. "However, I feel evil in that man. I think that he is after something." Link and Sora stepped away from the window. "I need your help." Zelda said next. The boys' heads just about ripped off of their shoulders as they turned to her. "I feel that Ganondorf may be after the Triforce. However, there are five keys. I possess two, and you two possess one." She informed them. "The Kokiri Emerald is one of three Spiritual Stones that is needed to access the Sacred Realm. If we were to gather the Goron's Ruby and the Zora's Sapphire, all we would have to do is play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time in front of the Door of Time, which is in the Temple of Time." Zelda said. "I possess the Ocarina of Time, as it is a family heirloom. I also know the Song of Time. The only keys we're missing are the Goron's Ruby and the Zora's Sapphire." Zelda reiterated. "Could I ask you two to help me so we can stop Ganondorf's evil plan?" Zelda asked, her eyes pleading. Link and Sora both nodded. "Yay! Thank you!" she said, hugging them both. She then got serious again. "Could I please ask you to leave the same way you came? That way it won't look to suspicious…" Zelda asked with a concerned look.

"No need, Princess. I'll escort these kind gentlemen out." Another female voice said. Link and Sora turned around. There, they saw a lithe young woman. She had light blonde hair and tanned skin. Sora was almost scared when he saw that her eyes were red. She had on blueish purple clothing that was marked with yellow lines, and an orange belt around her waist. "My name is Impa. I am the caretaker of the princess. I want to thank you for believing in her visions, for only I have. She has been scoffed at and ignored by her father and everyone else here." Impa said. She then motioned Sora and Link over to her. "Before we leave, I want to teach you an important song. It's called Zelda's Lullaby. If you ever need to prove your connection to the Royal Family, just play this song. It's a song that I played for the princess as a baby." She then brought her hand to her lips and cupped it. She blew into her hand, and a series of three notes sounded. Impa repeated the three notes. Link pulled out his Ocarina, then played the same sequence. Instinctively, he played the rest of the song. Impa smiled. "Good. You've learned Zelda's Lullaby." She said. "Now, I shall lead you out of the castle." Link and Sora had no idea what happened or how she did it, but the next thing they knew, they were standing in Hyrule Field. Impa pointed them to the east, toward the looming volcano that they had seen on the trek from the Kokiri Forest. "The closest Spiritual Stone is that way. If you go east, you'll come upon Kakariko Village, a place founded by my people, the Sheikah. From there, take the back exit, and you'll wind up on the trail to Death Mountain. On Death Mountain, you'll need to find the Goron Village and ask for the Goron's Ruby." Impa then pointed out the river between Hyrule Castle and Kakariko Village. "If you follow that river upstream, you'll come across the entrance to the Zora's Domain. There, you'll need to ask for the Zora's Sapphire from the Zoras." Impa informed them. She then smiled again. "You boys are brave. You are so young, yet you are willing to selflessly sacrifice your lives for the land of Hyrule, maybe even all of the planet Hylia." She said. "Both the Princess and I will be waiting for your safe return." With those parting words, Impa was gone. Link turned to Sora.

"Well, Sora, I guess this is it…" he said. Sora nodded.

"Well, what are we waiting for? More Stalchildren?" Sora asked. Link shuddered.

"Nope! I'd rather be sent to Subrosia for a week!" Link said. Sora laughed until he realized he didn't know what Subrosia was. Link headed off, but he was heading toward Lon Lon Ranch.

"Hey! I thought we needed to go that way!" Sora said, pointing toward Death Mountain. Link shook his head.

"First, we're gonna visit Lon Lon Ranch and see how Talon is doing. He said he'd have something for us, and I'll bet my boots it'll be something useful." Link said. "Then, we're gonna visit Saria and tell her about what we're doing. I'll bet she'd be interested to know." Link said. Sora nodded.

"Sounds like a plan!" he said, as he followed his friend.


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: From the Farm to the Forest! Epona's Song and Saria's Song!**

For the rest of the day, Sora and Link walked along the dirt trail that cut through the greenery of Hyrule Field. Following the trail would bring the two to the Lon Lon Ranch, the largest ranch in Hyrule. Along the way, Sora's curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he'd asked what Subrosia was, remembering the reference Link made to the place. Boy, was that a mistake. Navi spent a good half-hour explaining that Subrosia was the Underworld of Hyrule. While Navi and Sora chatted, Link happened to note that the wind was picking up. He decided to bring it up once Navi had returned to her usual roost beneath his hat.

"Hey, Sora… you notice it's been getting windier and windier?" Link asked. Both boys looked up and saw that the normally bright blue sky was gray with storm clouds. Link groaned. "I knew it… we're in for a storm… and a big one too, by the looks of it. We may have to wait it out at Lon Lon Ranch, if the worst comes to the worst." Link noted. Sora nodded.

"Fine by me." the Keyblader said. It was nearly dark when the two had finally made it to their destination. Link and Sora stepped into the doorway leading inside the walls of the ranch. Inside, they heard a voice that sounded an awful lot like Malon singing a very simple and almost calming tune. However, it was Talon who spotted them.

"Ah! You're the kind young lads that woke me up at the castle!" the big man said. "I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up!" The man put one arm around each set of shoulders, and guided them effortlessly to what looked like a storage room. Inside, Link and Sora saw a large collection of glass bottles. "This here is my holding building for our world-famous Lon Lon Milk." Talon said. He handed Link 20 bottles. Link put each bottle away in his magic pouch, casuing Talon's eyes to bulge out of his head. "Whew-weee! You got some deep pockets there, little man! Anyway, when the Milk is all gone, keep the bottles. You'll find a use for 'em, I'm sure." The man told the two. Link and Sora thanked Talon, and decided to go see Malon, who was in the horse's pen. She looked up, seeing Link and Sora.

"Oh! Hey, Fairy Boy!" she said. "Did you stop by just to see little old me?" she asked, knowing that Link and Sora had come here to see what her dad had for them. "I hope you enjoy that milk. Dad almost never gives it away like that." Malon added on. Link and Sora both nodded.

"You know, I'm sure we will." Link said. Malon realized that there was someone she wanted the two to meet.

"Hey, Fairy Boy! I wanna introduce you to my best friend!" Malon said. She then pointed to a young horse that was running about, seeming to enjoy itself. "That is Epona! She's my favorite horse!" Malon smiled. When Link tried to approach her, she would go near him. Malon almost seemed disappointed. "I guess she's not used to strangers." Malon said. She began to hum the same song, which calmed Epona down. Link had an idea. He pulled out his Ocarina. Malon saw the instrument. "Hey, that's a pretty Ocarina! Do you wanna learn my song to see if Epona will come to you, Fairy Boy?" Malon asked. Link nodded, sighing. Malon hummed three notes, then repeated the sequence. Link played the same notes, instinctively finishing the song. "There! I call it Epona's Song! And look, Fairy Boy! Epona seems to like you now!" Indeed, the young horse came up to Link. The boy petted the horse.

"We need to find a place to stay until the morning. I don't wanna walk to the Kokiri Forest when it's dark out." Link said. Malon and Talon were both more than happy to have the two boys spend the night. Link and Sora made themselves comfortable and rested for the first time in a while.

The next day, there was indeed rain. It had rolled in overnight and had started before the boys had even woke up. Link and Sora both groaned. It was going to take them a while to get to the Kokiri Forest from here. Normally, it was about a half-day walk, but now it could take all day or longer. However, the boys accepted the inevitable and got ready to make their trip in the rain. Not much was said on the trip to the forest, as both companions fought to stop from slipping and falling, but to no avail. The rain had turned Hyrule Field into a big, slippery mess. The grass was slick with the falling raindrops, and the dirt trials had been turned into mud. At the end of the day, the two managed to make it back to the Kokiri Forest. Link decided to wait until the rain quit before trying to navigate the Lost Woods.

"Why?" Sora asked. "Don't you wanna see Saria?" Link shook his head.

"It's not that. We might get lost in there. If a Kokiri gets lost, they turn into a Skull Kid. Anyone else turns into a Stalchild. I think I'd rather play it safe and go see Saria when the rain dies." Link told Sora. The two waited at Link's house, but the rain did not die that day, or that night. When the sun rose the next day, there was no rain. Link and Sora set out for the Lost Woods. The two boys followed the music, and came upon the Sacred Forest Meadow. When they stepped into the maze part of the Meadow, metal bars raised themselves up, blocking the entrance. As Link and Sora investigated, they saw why: the maze was crawling with wolf-like creatures that Navi identified a Wolfos. The two boys fought their way through the Wolfos-infested maze, and fortunately both made it to the other side with very little injury.

"What was that for?" Sora asked. "You don't think they got Saria, do you?" Sora voiced his next concern. Link shook his head.

"Her song can calm anything down in the forest." Link said. Eventually, the two came upon the Sacred Forest Meadow Clearing. There, on a tree stump, was Saria. She was playing a very upbeat tune on another ocarina. The green-haired Kokiri girl quite playing when Link and Sora approached her.

"Hey, you two! Glad you could make it!" she said. Sora and Link nodded. The next hour or so was spent with Link and Sora answering Saria's questions about the outside world. Before they left, Saria wanted to teach Link her song. She played a sequence of three notes, and repeated it. Link played the sequence back and then finished the song by instinct again. He had learned Saria's Song. "If you ever wanna talk to me, just play my song, okay?" she informed Link. He nodded, and both he and Sora then left the Lost Woods. They rested at Link's house, then set out for Death Mountain.


	9. Chapter 7

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 7: Gaining Darunia's Trust! Restore Dodongo's Cavern!**

Around midday, Link and Sora made their way to Kakariko Village. The old rustic town had an otherworldly feel in the air. After asking the locals and the workers for directions, Link and Sora headed toward the back of the village. There, they were stopped by one of the Kakariko guards.

"Halt! By a royal decree issued by His Majesty King Hyrule, only those who know a particular tune are able to pass through these gates." the guard informed them.

"Why?" Sora asked. The guard shrugged.

"Apparently, the Gorons are having some issues and requested that only a messenger of His Majesty be allowed to pass." The guard shrugged her shoulders at the end of her statement. "Sorry, kids, but orders are orders." she added. Link then had an idea. He pulled out his Fairy Ocarina, and played Zelda's Lullaby. The guard jumped, startled. "Wait a minute! I know that song anywhere! That isn't the song the King requested, but I know that is the song taught to those with a connection to the Royal Family of Hyrule! Are you the two sent by Princess Zelda?" she asked. The boys nodded. "Good. Her nursemaid, Impa, came by and told me to let you two pass. Since Impa watches over this place, her word is law around here. Hang on, and I'll let you two pass." she told them. The guard turned around and entered a guardhouse. Shortly afterward, the gate opened, and the two boys stepped through the gate, entering the boulder-hewn Death Mountain Trail. After a few steps forward, the two boys found themselves ambushed by a red, insectoid creature. Link noted that it had four legs and one eye. The spider jumped and hopped about the landscape haphazardly, nearly crushing both boys as they frantically dodged it and tried to get in a good attacking position. Navi decided now was a good time to pop out of Link's hat and give them some advice.

"**Hey!** Be careful around the Tektites! They're very agile. As you can see, they jump about with no regard for their safety, mainly because they can survive long drops! Try to take them out from a distance if you can!" the fairy warned the boys. Sora nodded, summoning his Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

The Tektite, not noticing where it was jumping, was struck by the Keyblade. It withered away as it was defeated. The boys then continued to make their way up the Death Mountain Trail, and were ambushed by three more Tektites. Link opted to use his Slingshot while Sora kept throwing his Keyblade at them. Soon, the three Tektites fell to the two adventurers, who continued up the trail. Along the way, they saw a giant boulder blocking part of the path. By looking at the sides of the mountain wall, they could see that it blocked a cave. Sora then pointed out that the boulder was a different color than those they'd seen on the trail. Link nodded.

"Yeah… not only that, but this boulder is smooth, too. And look at the size of it!" Link said, feeling the boulder. The other boulders the boys had seen were barely taller than Sora, but this one dwarfed both of the boys combined. "I bet that Ganondorf has something to do with this." Link then said. Sora nodded in agreement. At that moment, another boulder came rolling down the trail from a higher point. The boulder stopped itself before it could crash into the wall or the giant boulder. To Link and Sora's astonishment, the boulder unrolled itself and became a humanoid figure. The round body resembled a stone, and Link noted that the hide of the back held ridged stones. The creature also had small eyes, a crop of white hair on its head, and prominent lips. The rest of the skin on the creature was light brown. Navi came out of Link's hat long enough to tell the boys that they'd just laid their eyes on a Goron, one of the rock-eating inhabitants of Death Mountain. After disappearing back under their hat, Sora asked the Goron for directions to the Goron City. The Goron gave them directions, pointing up the mountain. Link took the time to note that the Goron had square teeth that were unaligned. Link and Sora followed the Goron's directions, eventually coming upon the Goron City.

Inside the city, Link and Sora took notice of how _huge_ the place was. The first thing they saw was a pedestal sitting on an island in the middle of the city. The only ways to get across were three climbing ropes stretched horizontally to the island. Link and Sora managed to get across the rope, only to find that the pedestal was empty. A lone Goron on the island turned to the boys as he noticed them approach.

"Are you two here for the delicious-looking red stone?" he asked them. The boys nodded. The Goron sighed. "Big Brother Darunia has it. I think he was afraid of everyone eating it since we don't have access to the tasty rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern. I came over just to give it a little lick…" the Goron informed the duo, sighing sadly at the end of his explanation. Link and Sora crossed back the way they came and decided to ask around the city. The Gorons told them that they were starving because they refused to eat ordinary rocks, only accepting the delicious rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern. They also told the boys that with the cavern being closed off, their prized crop was getting harder and harder to find. Eventually, the boys found themselves on the bottom level of the Goron City. Link asked one of the Gorons standing in front of a door where Darunia could be found. The Goron perked up at the mention of the name.

"Big Brother Darunia? He's our leader, you know. He's locked himself in his room here. He says he won't come out until he speaks with the King's Messenger. After all, Big Brother and the Hyrule King are sworn Brothers, so it makes sense that he'll only speak to someone who came here in his Brother's stead." the Goron told them. Link tried to open the door anyway.

"Who's there? If you're not my Sworn Brother's messenger, go away! If you are, prove it!" a rough voice shouted out to them. The Goron next to the door gave Link a look that clearly said "I told you so." Link pulled out his Fairy Ocarina and again played Zelda's Lullaby. The voice sounded out again. "Hey! I know that tune! You must be a messenger of the King! Come in!"

"That was easy." Sora said as the two opened the door. Inside, they saw Darunia standing in the middle of a sparsely decorated room. He was bigger than the other Gorons Link and Sora had seen, and had a beard as well, which probably separated him as the Goron Leader. Sora quickly took the time to note that the Goron did not look very happy, but couldn't point it out to Link.

"Who are you? Does my Sworn Brother mock me by sending a couple of brats as messengers!?" he shouted. Link stepped forward.

"Sir, we are not messengers from the King. My name is Link, and this is my companion, Sora. We were sent here by Princess Zelda and her nursemaid Impa to see if we could have the Spiritual Stone of Fire that you hold." Link told him, figuring it would be better to be honest. Darunia just laughed at the two.

"Oh, really? And how do I know that you aren't in league with that dark wizard, Ganondorf, eh? He already blocked off our food supply! All my brothers are starving!" the Goron Leader told them. Sora stepped forth.

"Would us removing the boulder help prove that we aren't on his side?" he asked, crossing his arms and grinning. Darunia just shook his head.

"Even if you pipsqueaks could clear the boulder, the Dodongo's Cavern has been infested by Dodongos! Do you two boys know what Dodongos eat?" Darunia asked, his voice taking on a creepy aspect as he leaned close to the two boys, who shook their heads negatively. He motioned them closer. They obliged, moving in to catch Darunias every word. "THEY EAT GORONS!" the Goron Leader shouted, causing the two to jump nearly out of their skins. Darunia sighed. "Anyway, this is a Goron problem, not a problem for you two young lads. I'm sorry, but I can't give you the Goron's Ruby." The two boys took their leave. Outside, they were confronted by the same Goron who'd told them about Darunia.

"Great… not Big Brother's depressed. I know that he likes listening to the music from the forest." he said. That gave Link and idea. Motioning for Sora to follow him, the two entered into Darunia's room again. There, they saw Darunia sitting on a stool, looking very sad. Link pulled out is Ocarina. As Darunia watched, Link played Saria's Song. Soon, Darunia couldn't help but get up and dance.

"Oooh, yeah! Hot, hot, hothothothothothot!" he cried out as he danced around. When he finally tired out, Link stopped playing. "Oh, yeah! That's a hot tune! You've lifted my spirits, boy!" Darunia told them. "You know, you kids got spunk! Tell you what. If you can clear the boulder blocking Dodongo's Cavern, and clear out the Dodongo infestation as well, I'll give you two the Goron's Ruby." Darunia told them. The boys nodded in agreement. Darunia then pointed them to the side exit of his room. "If you go out there, you may be able to find something to help you." he told them. The boys exited through the side exit. The only things they saw were a Goron, and a plant with a round, black fruit. The Goron turned to the two boys.

"Oh, hello. I'm just protecting this lone Bomb Flower from the sun. If you want, you can pick it up and toss it." the Goron told them. Link picked up the flower, and tossed it over the edge. As the boys looked down, they saw that the platform was directly above the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern. The Bomb Flower exploded, causing a bunch of dust and rubble. Once it had cleared, the entrance to the cavern lay open for all the world to see. Link and Sora quickly passed through Darunia's room. The Goron Leader was able to guess that they'd used the Bomb Flower and cleared the cavern. That was the easy part. Now would come the hard part: clearing the cavern of those infernal Dodongos. The two boys sped their way back through the Goron City, passing many startled Gorons along the way. The boys didn't stop or slow as they exited the city, running as if they were men possessed or gone mad. They boys tore down the trail, and eventually wound up at the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern. Nodding at each other, they stepped inside the cavern.


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: The start of the second dungeon! Yay! How will Link and Sora handle the horrors of the Dodongo's Cavern? We'll find out in this chapter and next chapter!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 8: Clear the Dodongo's Cavern! Obtaining the Bombs!**

Link and Sora entered the Dodongo's Cavern. They saw a central platform, surrounded by four ledges. The northern ledge led to a giant skeleton of what the boys saw was a dinosaur-like creature. They were standing on the southern ledge. The western ledge led to a door, but it was elevated beyond their reach. On the eastern ledge was another door, but this one was locked, with metal bars running vertically across it. On the central platform, the eastern ledge, and the western ledge were four machine-like contraptions. They appeared to be made of all metal, and had rotating spheres with an eye carved on them. Navi came out when she noticed the contraptions.

"**Look out!** Those are Beamos! A Beamos is stationary, but it will shoot a laser beam out of the eye on the top sphere if it sees you! They don't like getting smoke in their eye, though…" Navi told them. After she disappeared under Link's hat, the boys looked around and saw another Bomb Flower.

"Well, let's see what we can do!" Link said. He picked up the Bomb Flower and threw it at the central platform. The explosive seed did not make it across, and exploded before the five-second fuse was up. Link and Sora looked down and saw that the gaps between the ledges were filled with lava. Sora then had an idea.

"Hey! Let's play some baseball!" he said excitedly, summoning the Keyblade. Link stared at him in confusion.

"What's baseball?" Link asked. Sora just shook his head.

"Nevermind. Just pick up another flower and toss it at me." Sora instructed, unable to believe that his friend had never heard of baseball. Link did as he was told, and Sora hit the Bomb Flower like a batter would in a baseball game. This time, the Bomb Flower sailed over and landed by the Beamos. After the fuse time was up, the explosive plant blew up. When the smoke cleared, the Beamos was gone. The two boys high-fived, then continued on. After leaping to the central platform, the two saw another Bomb Flower sprout up in the middle of the platform.

"That's convenient…" Link muttered. Sora nodded in agreement. The way forward was blocked by the skeletal head. To the east and the west were the other two Beamos. The only door they could reach was to the east. Link had an idea. Twice more the two boys repeated the exercise that destroyed the first Beamos, and they destroyed the other two. The door on the eastern ledge then became unlocked, the bars sliding up and allowing access. The two wasted no time leaping over to the door. Along the way, Sora shook his head.

"Very straightforward…" he muttered. Link could only nod in agreement. The two then made their way through the door. On the other side of the door was a tunnel. As the two walked along, they were ambushed by a pair of lizard-like creatures, which burrowed up from the ground. Navi came out again to explain what their newest attackers were.

"**Hey!** Those are Baby Dodongos! As you've seen, they pop up out of the ground without warning. They like to jump into the air to ram their foes. Be careful when defeating them! They have a tendency to explode when they are defeated." The two boys nodded as the fairy returned to her usual perch. When the Baby Dodongos got close, the two attacked, knocking the lizards back. After standing still for a few seconds, the two Baby Dodongos exploded with more force than the two boys anticipated. Link and Sora exchanged glances before resuming. While in the tunnel, they encountered three more Baby Dodongos, which were dispatched with relative ease. At the end of the tunnel, the two encountered a bat-like creature flying around erratically.

"3…2…1…" Link counted down out loud. As expected, Navi came out of Link's hat.

"**Look out! **Keese are very common in caves like this! They will swoop down and attack you if you're not careful! Also beware, as some of them may be adapted to the fire in here!" Navi warned. Sora decided to try a distance attack on the Keese.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keese's erratic flight caused Sora's attack to miss. Link tried next, pulling out his slingshot. The projectile hit its target, and the Keese dropped from its flight, its body disappearing before it hit the ground. The two then opened the door on the other side and went through. They emerged in a room that was empty except for several pillars. By looking up, the two could see that the pillars didn't reach the ceiling, which meant that they could jump across the tops of the pillars. Link noticed a large chest on top of one of the pillars. Sora took a step forward, but Link hastily pulled him back at the sound of a metallic sliding noise. _Clang!_ Sora saw that he would have been turned to mincemeat by the two square-shaped traps, which had two spikes on each side.

"Blade Traps…" Link muttered. "I've heard stories of these… didn't think I'd actually run into any." As the traps retreated, Link and Sora quickly rushed forward. The two saw a ladder leading up to a ledge with another door. Link stepped forward, and quickly lept back as two more Blade Traps rushed forward. After they started to retreat, Link and Sora climbed up the ladder. After looking around, the two could see now way to open the door. Link then inspected the door closely, seeing that it was covered in very fine, spider web-like cracks. "Hey, Navi!" Link called out. The fairy emerged from Link's hat. "Could we blow this door up?" Link asked. Navi started at him in confusion before answering.

"I don't see why not… it looks like a concussive force like an explosion would open the way…" she replied. Link nodded, and the fairy took that as her dismissal, disappearing back under the green hat she was accustomed to residing in. Link lept over to one of the pillars, and Sora followed. After leaping across a few pillars, they reached the chest Link had seen. Before he could open the chest, Link heard a hissing noise behind him. Turning around, Link saw a bipedal lizard holding a sword. Navi came out again as the lizard continued to hiss in challenge. "**Hey!** That's a Lizalfos! They're very agile, and tend to attack in pairs!" Navi warned, disappearing back under Link's hat, mainly to avoid the risk of losing a wing to the swords that were about to be swinging through the air. Link drew his sword and shield as the Lizalfos charged at him. At the last second, the Lizalfos lept over Link, swinging for Sora. The Keyblader lept off of the ledge, but misjudged the jump and landed in the maze formed by the pillars. Where he landed, he saw another Lizalfos.

"Found the second one…" he muttered, summoning the Keyblade.

The Lizalfos that had attacked Sora turned its attention to Link upon seeing its partner facing down Sora. Again the Lizalfos jumped at Link, swinging at the Kokiri boy. Link blocked the Jump Attack with his shield. Link deflected blow after blow from his more skilled opponent, not noticing that small pieces of his shield were being chipped away. Finally, Link found an opening and slashed at his foe with a horizontal blow. The Lizalfos jumped back, screeching in pain. It lept away to a different pillar, with Link following. After jumping pillars for a few seconds, the Lizalfos turned back, slashing at Link with its sword. Link jumped to the side, barely managing to dodge the strike. The Kokiri boy was placed on the defensive again as the Lizalfos rushed him with another barrage of blows. Again, Link managed to find an opening, his horizontal blow decapitating his opponent, whose body disappeared. Link then stared jumping back across the pillars, making his way to the large chest he'd seen.

The Lizalfos that Sora was facing off against rushed forward exactly as its partner had. Sora rolled forward, then struck with the Keyblade. The Lizalfos blocked the blow, but its sword got caught in the teeth of the Keyblade. Sora jerked the Keyblade, sending his opponent's sword flying away. The Keybearer then followed with a second swing, striking the bipedal lizard. Like its partner, this Lizalfos lept away, jumping off the walls of the pillars as it went. Sora finally managed to catch up to it, only to see that his foe had recovered its sword. The two clashed blades over and over again, the clanging of their blades reverberating through the chamber. Finally, Sora managed to disarm his opponent again. With his follow up strike, he put all his strength into the blow, crushing the lizard's skull. Like its partner, its body disappeared. Sora wearily made his way back to the ladder, dispelling the Keyblade along the way. After tripping the Blade Traps, Sora climbed up the ladder. When he got to the top, he saw Link was opening the large chest. As Link stood, he pulled out a brown sack.

"YES!" Link shouted. Sora stared.

"Dude… it's just a bag…" he muttered. Link facepalmed, the pulled something from out of the bag.

"This isn't any ordinary bag." Link told him, showing him what he'd pulled out. Sora saw it was a bomb. "This is a Bomb Bag!" Link announced. Sora perked up.

"Bombs? We don't have to use those plants anymore? Awesome!" Sora said. The two then turned to the door that was in their way. Sora and Link exchanged glances.

"I'm going to enjoy this…" Link said. Sora stared, then got the idea.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Sora asked. Link nodded in response.

"We're gonna blow that door wide open!" he said.


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N: Finally, the second boss fight! The reason this wasn't up sooner was for a few reasons. 1) I recently got a 3DS, so I've been playing that (namely OoT 3D!). 2) Writer's block. Hopefully, the other chapters will be up quicker. I may even get up one or two more today. Just four more chapters, then we'll be in the Kingdom Hearts part of the story.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 9: Clear the Dodongo's Cavern! Confrontation with King Dodongo!**

Link and Sora lept over to the door. Link pulled out a Bomb and placed near the door. After it was lit, both boys jumped back across to one of the pillars. After five seconds, the Bomb blew up, destroying the door. After the rubble had cleared, Link and Sora jumped back over and walked through the door. They emerged into the hallway, and were ambushed by three more Baby Dodongos. The two quickly dispatched of the explosive lizards, and may their way forward. At the end of the hall, there was a door with bars running across it vertically. Seeing that it wasn't open, the two looked around. Link noticed two Keese hanging from the roof. Link pointed them out to Sora. Sora summoned the Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade killed one of the Keese. Before the other one could react to the presence of an enemy, it was dispatched by a well-shot Deku Seed from Link's slingshot. The bars slid up, allowing the two boys to continue into the next room. Link and Sora found themselves in a huge room. In the middle, there was a platform rising up from the ground, and it was surrounded by four statues. They looked almost human-like. There was a ledge on the left-hand side of the room, which led to a barred door. There was a switch near the ledge. Link stepped on the switch, and the bars lifted. After jumping up the ledge, the switch depressed and the bars closed the door again. When Sora decided to approach one of the statues with the intent to move it, it came to life, hopping after him. Sora quickly fled as Navi warned them about their new foe.

"**Look out!** Those are Armos statues! They're very sensitive to being touched and vibrations near the ground. When they awaken, they'll charge at you! Careful! If they're awake for too long, they explode!" Navi cried out to Sora.

"THANKS FOR THE FOREWARNING, NAVI!" Sora shouted, running as fast as he could from the Armos. Link could tell that the comment was meant to be sarcastic. Link sighed, pulling out another Bomb, throwing it at another of the statues. This one also rumbled to life as the Armos chasing Sora blew up. Link threw another Bomb, dispatching the Armos. Link repeated the same process with yet another Armos. The two turned to the last one. When Sora approached it, the Armos did not awaken. After being touched, it was still as stone. The two boys wasted no time pushing the statue on top of the switch, which caused the bars to raise up. The two entered through the door. In the next room, there was a door to the boys' left, and a ledge surrounded by Bomb Flowers. Sora went through the door, telling Link that it was merely a shortcut to where they'd come from. By this time, both boys were worn out and getting really thirsty.

"Let's take a break." Link said, pulling out a few bottles of the Lon Lon Milk he'd been given by Talon. Sora nodded in agreement. The two boys drank three bottles of milk, and they noticed their strength returning. Placing the empty bottles back in his pouch, Link then pulled out another Bomb, and placed it in a gap between two of the Bomb Flowers. The Bomb's explosion caused the Bomb Flowers to explode as well. This caused the platform to sink a few feet into the ground, which allowed Link and Sora to climb up the makeshift staircase and to the next level. The boys followed a path that circled the chamber, and found another door. After entering it, they saw that they were back in the main chamber, however, they were up on the higher ledge they'd spotted when they first entered. Link stepped on the switch on front of him, which caused a pillar to rise from the lava and act as an elevator to the lower level. Link then saw a sign and read it aloud. "When the Giant Dead Dodongo's eyes see red, the way forward will open." Link and Sora decided to see what was on the other side of the bridge that spanned across the room. Jumping across the gaps that were above the eyes of the skeletal Dodongo, they came across a door that could be blown up. Link did so, noting that he was low on Bombs. On the other side of the door was a chest filled with Bombs. Link opened it and put the Bombs in his pouch. Link then had an idea. He went back to the gaps and pulled out two Bombs, handing one to Sora. "Drop it into one of the eyes." Link instructed. Sora nodded, and the boys dropped the Bombs into the eyes of the Dodongo. The Bombs exploded, and the eyes of the skeleton started to glow red. The mouth then dropped down. Link and Sora took the elevator down, and entered into the door in the mouth.

"Ya know, the fact that a part of this place is made up of a giant dead lizard is kinda creepy." Sora told Link, who nodded in reply. The two stepped into the door. In the next room, Link and Sora found themselves ambushed by giant bipedal lizards. While the two dodged the flames that were being spewed from the creatures' mouths, Navi came out to tell Link and Sora about the creatures.

"**Look out!** Those are Dodongos! Their bodies are covered in thick armored hides. The only weak spots are their mouths and their tails. If you get a Bomb in them, they'll be weakened. You can also attack their tails, but watch out as they can use the tails as a club and strike you with them!" Navi then retreated back to Link's hat, especially since a Dodongo thought she'd make a good barbecued snack. Link and Sora managed to attack the tails of the Dodongos, and they saw that Navi had forgotten to warn them that the Dodongos also blew up when defeated. However, the explosions were larger than any the boys had seen so far. The two saw that there were four unlit torches in the corners of the room. There was also a fifth torch in the center that was lit. Sora guessed it was because of the Dodongos' flames. Link pulled out another Deku Stick and used it to light the four unlit torches. A chest appeared, and Link found more Bombs. The two then followed a tunnel to the next room. In the room, they saw there was a block puzzle and a door with metal bars running vertically in front of it. There were four switches in the corners, and four blocks in the middle. However, there were little ledges rising from the floor. It didn't hinder Link and Sora, but the blocks wouldn't be able to be pushed except through the unraised parts of the floor. The ledges formed a maze. Working together, the two eventually got all four switches pressed, which caused the bars to retract, allowing the door to be opened. In the next room, Link and Sora saw that there were islands formed in the lava-covered floor. The door to the next room was locked.

"Just fantastic… now what?" Link asked, and immediately regretted asking the question. The two heard familiar cries of challenge, and they were faced down by another pair of Lizalfos. Link took the one on the left, and Sora the one on the right.

The Lizalfos on the left drew its sword when it saw Link rushing at him as he drew his sword and shield. Link and the bipedal lizard clashed blades several times, the sound of the blades hitting ringing throughout the cavern. A few times, Link had to use his Deku Shield to block the blows. Each time Link used his shield, a little more of the wood was chipped off the already worn shield. As they continued to fight, Link finally saw an opening. He took it, and managed to cut the Lizalfos's chest with a diagonal slash. The Lizalfos, just like before, leaped away along the islands, stopping on a smaller one. Link followed, and the process started again. However, Link was growing tired by this point, and the Lizalfos managed to get a couple of blows past Link's defenses. Ignoring the scratches on his arms and chest, Link fought on, and managed to get an opening to decapitate the Lizalfos, whose body disappeared. Link then made his way to the door.

The second Lizalfos also drew its sword as Sora rushed in. Sora made the first move, which put the lizard on the defensive as Sora swung his Keyblade repeatedly. Rather quickly, Sora got past the Lizalfos's defenses, striking it hard on the nose. Bleeding, the Lizalfos leaped away to another smaller island. Sora gave chase, but was attacked as soon as he landed. Sora gained a few scratches of his own as he fought to get his balance and attack. After a few seconds, Sora did regain his balance, and stayed on the defensive for a bit. After about a minute, Sora moved to the offensive, and struck the Lizalfos again, this time the teeth of the Keyblade crushed the Lizalfos's skull. After the body disappeared, Sora also made his way to the door.

The two met at the door, which was now unlocked. In the next room, the only thing there was an ornately and intricately decorated door, just like the one before they fought Queen Gohma in the Great Deku Tree. Link and Sora looked at each other, and then went through the door. In the next room, however, there was only a crack on the floor. After looking around, Link decided to try and blow the crack up with a Bomb. That was a big mistake, as the entire floor gave out, dropping Link and Sora to the cavern below. The two saw that there was a pool of lava in the center of the room, leaving the outer edge as the only traversable area. They also saw a Bomb Flower in each corner of the room.

_THUD, THUD, THUD!_The two boys turned around at the sound of the giant footsteps. There, they were faced by a Dodongo of colossal proportions. While not as large as the Giant Dead Dodongo, it easily dwarfed the size of Queen Gohma and any other enemy Link and Sora had faced. Navi came out and introduced them to their larges foe yet:

**Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo**

"Be careful. This huge Dodongo will eat _anything!_ If he gets a big enough of a shock, you should be able to finish him off with your sword! His attacks include him shooting a bunch of flames out at us, and him rolling around to try and crush us!" Navi disappeared back under Link's hat. Link groaned.

"This just isn't my day…" he said. He couldn't say more because King Dodongo was taking a huge breath in. Link and Sora ran as the flames rushed at them. The two turned the corner and thought they were safe until they looked back and saw the flames round the corner too.

"WHAT THE HECK KIND OF FLAMES ARE THESE!?" Sora shouted as they ran again. The flames did stop, and the two turned around and saw King Dodongo rolling into a ball. Link and Sora managed to squeeze themselves against the wall and avoided getting squished as he passed. Link pulled out a Bomb as King Dodongo turned himself around to face the two boys.

"Hey, Sora! Up for another game of baseball?" Linka asked. Sora nodded, and Link tossed the Bomb at Sora as King Dodongo inhaled again. Sora hit the Bomb toward the ginormous lizard, who swallowed it whole. However, the Bomb blew up, causing King Dodongo to collapse from the pain. Link took the time to strike with his sword. As soon as Link hit him, King Dodongo got back up. Link and Sora then repeated the process several more times. After the eight time, Link and Sora were getting bored with the routine.

"Just how much longer do we have to do this?" Sora complained, again hitting the Bomb toward King Dodongo.

"I dunno, but I'm getting worn out." Link replied, again striking King Dodongo. This time, the large lizard rolled himself into a ball, and started to roll toward the two. However, he veered away, and rolled right into the lava. King Dodongo unrolled himself and tried to escape his prison, but it was too late. As the large lizard released one last cry, its body was eaten away by the lava. After King Dodongo was dead, the lava hardened. The two boys walked into the blue portal that appeared. When they opened their eyes, they were glad to see the outside of the Dodongo's Cavern. The cool, morning air told the boys that they had spent the entire day and all night fighting King Dodongo. As the two started to head back to Goron City, Darunia dropped down, causing the ground to shake, which knocked Link and Sora off of their feet.

"Good work!" Darunia said as Link and Sora got up. "You guys did it! You cleared the Dodongo's Cavern!" Darunia then clapped the two on their backs, sending them to the ground again. "Now, we can eat the rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern until our stomachs burst! This all must have been the work of the Gerudo Thief, Ganondorf. He said he wouldn't unblock the cavern until I gave him the Spiritual Stone! However, you two risked your lives to get the Cavern back to normal!" Darunia said. Link and Sora looked at each other. Before they could say anything, Darunia was talking again. "Hey, I know! How's about we become Sworn Brothers! Don't worry, there's no fancy ceremony! Just take this, the Goron's Ruby!" Darunia said, handing over the Spiritual Stone of Fire, the Goron's Ruby. Link accepted the Ruby and put it in his pouch. Two more Gorons dropped down.

"You did it!" they said in unison. Darunia nodded.

"Yep! Brother Link! Brother Sora! You guys cannot go without a big Goron party!" Darunia said. Link and Sora accepted, glad for the chance to rest. A few hours later, Link and Sora insisted on leaving. However, they were chased by Darunia and a couple of Gorons who wanted to give them big Goron hugs. The reason the two fled was because they'd seen the Gorons hugging each other, and heard the cracking of bones. Link figured that he and Sora would be better off without them. The two managed to make it to Kakariko Village, and stayed there for the rest of the day and all night.


	12. Chapter 10

**A/N: Quicker than I normally update, but this story hasn't seen the best of love for the past while. I can't promise that I can keep updating often, but I'll try my hardest**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 10: A New Roadblock! Collect the Three Sacred Spells!**

After the boys woke up in the morning, they departed from Kakariko Village. After they left, they followed the river upstream, just as Impa had told them. They eventually found themselves at the start of the entrance to the Zora's Domain. After blowing up some rocks that were in the way, Link and Sora were stopped by the Kaepora Gaebora.

"Hoo-hoo! Up here, boys! Hoo!" he called out. Link and Sora looked up to where he was. "I see that you two-hoo have recovered the Goron's Ruby! Good job! But, in order to-hoo see the Zora's, you'll have to collect the Three Sacred Spells of the Goddesses! Hoo-hoo! One is found at Hyrule Castle, one at the Lon-Lon Ranch, and the last one is in the beginning of the Lost Woods! Also, I'd recommend visiting the summit of Death Mountain! Hoo-hoo! A powerful fairy lives there that can teach you a sword technique, Link! All of these are required to-hoo visit the Zora's!"

"Just fantastic. Thanks for the warning, Kaepora." Link replied. He turned to Sora. "Well, we may as well turn back if we can't continue." Sora nodded, but they were stopped by the Kaepora Gaebora.

"Hoo! Hold up! If you boys wish, I can give you a lift to the top of Death Mountain, and bring you back down to the entrance of Castle Town! Hoo-hoo!" The owl told them. Link and Sora nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks!" Sora replied. Link just smiled. With this trip, their journey time would be cut and they'd be able to make it to Zora's Domain by tomorrow at the latest. The owl positioned himself so the two boys could grab onto his leg. He then flapped his powerful wings, lifting off into the air. Link and Sora felt their stomachs fly up to their throats, and both decided to look down. The view was stunning. They could see a good portion of Hyrule Field, stretching to where it led into all sorts of different places. They could see Hyrule Castle, which looked small from where they were. Link and Sora really had no way to describe it. Soon, they were let off at the top of Death Mountain.

"Hoo! We've arrived at Death Mountain! Hoo!" Link and Sora looked around. The only thing in sight was a wall that had a weak spot in it, visible due to the cracks. Link pulled out a Bomb, and set it by the wall. He quickly sprinted away as the Bomb blew up, revealing the entrance to a cave. Link went in. Sora almost followed, but was stopped by Kaepora Gaebora.

"This skill is for Link alone! Hoo! The Great Fairy will not come out to see anyone but Link! Hoo!" Sora nodded at the owl's words. It made sense to him… kinda.

* * *

Inside, Link approached the fountain. He saw a Triforce mark on the floor. On nothing more than a hunch, Link pulled out his Fairy Ocarina and played Zelda's Lullaby. There was a sound of giggling, and then one of Hyrule's Great Fairies showed herself to Link. She was humanoid in shape, and wore ivy-like clothing and leather boots. Her flaming red hair was tied into three ponytails.

"I am one of the Great Fairy of Power. Who has entered my Great Fairy Fountain?" she asked. Link stepped forth.

"I did. My name is Link, from the Kokiri Forest." Link introduced himself. He was going to say more, but was stopped by the Great Fairy.

"Say no more. I know of you and your journey. You seek entrance to the Zora's Domain, correct?" she asked. Link nodded. "Good. I like your honesty. However, in order to access the Zora's Domain, there will be a point where you need to hit a circle of Crystal Switches at the same time. Your normal Spin Attack is inadequate, I'm afraid. However, the technique that I can teach you will do the trick." Link nodded. "Good. Now, pull your sword out." She said. Link did as he was told. "Good. Now, all beings possess magic. Focus yours to your blade, then execute the Spin Attack." Again, Link did as he was told.

**Hero Skill: Super Spin!**

The fairy clapped as Link performed the attack successfully.

"Good. You've learned the Hero's Skill called Great Spin. Use it to enter the Zora's Domain. Good luck, great hero. If you or the Keybearer are weary and ever visiting, stop by and I can heal both of you." With those words, the Great Fairy disappeared. Link turned and left the Great Fairy Fountain.

* * *

After Link emerged from the cave, Kaepora Gaebora gave them a ride back down the mountain, dropping them off in front of Hyrule Castle Town's entrance.

"Hoo! Link, Sora! This is where I say good-bye to you-hoo!" Kaepora Gaebora spread his wings again, and flew to the west. Link and Sora entered Hyrule Castle Town. They made their way to Hyrule Castle. They saw the guards were still keeping watch.

"Great… we gotta sneak past the guards again…" Sora complained. Link did not say a word, but started to climb the vines on the cliff wall again. Sora followed suit. They made it to the other side of the first gate. Straight ahead was a rock. Link decided to blow the rock up. After he did, the two boys noticed another hole in the wall. Link entered while Sora kept watch outside.

* * *

As Link stepped in, he saw another Great Fairy Fountain, exactly like the one at Death Mountain. Link stepped up and played Zelda's Lullaby on his Fairy Ocarina. This Great Fairy also appeared to the sound of giggles. She turned and saw Link.

"Who seeks Din's Secret from me, the Great Fairy of Din's Magic?" she asked. Link stepped forth.

"I do. I am Link from the Kokiri Forest." he replied. The fairy nodded.

"I thought that you would come. Okay, then, I shall pass on Din's Secret. It is Din's Sacred Spell: Din's Fire." The fairy told him. "There are two ways to use Din's Fire. First, let's create a protective wall. Just focus your magic to your hands, and feel the fire build up. Next, focus on the fire forming a dome around you. You can even push the dome out to dispel the spell." Link did as he was told.

**Din's Firewall!**

The Great Fairy clapped as the dome of fire dispersed.

"Good! You're quite skilled with magic, young hero! Next, focus the magic to your hands, except this time bunch it into a ball that can be shot out." Again, Link did as he was told.

**Din's Fire!**

The Great Fairy smiled.

"Very skilled, indeed. The first variation is called Din's Firewall. It can be used to protect yourself, or to light a circle of torches. The second is just called Din's Fire. You can use it to attack targets from a distance. Use these spells wisely, young hero!" the Great Fairy said as she disappeared. Link then left the Great Fairy Fountain.

* * *

Back outside, Link and Sora made their way back to Hyrule Castle Town. They let themselves be caught, and were escorted to the Town. Link and Sora nodded, then left. The next stop the two made was Lon-Lon Ranch. Link and Sora both talked about what they'd experienced so far as they walked along Hyrule Field. They sun's position told Link that it was late morning, almost afternoon. The two boys each had two more bottles of Lon-Lon Milk to keep them going. Link made a special note that they were halfway through the milk. At around noon, they made it to Lon-Lon Ranch. The two boys proceeded to the field, where they saw Malon washing Epona. After waving hello, the two made their way to the back shed, where they saw another rock. Link pulled out his Bombs, and blew it up. Sora waited as Link crawled into the hole.

* * *

Once again, Link stepped forward and played Zelda's Lullaby on his Fairy Ocarina. The Great Fairy appeared to him again.

"Who calls me seeking Nayru's Secret?" she asked. Link stepped forward.

"I do. I am Link, from the Kokiri Forest." he replied. The Great Fairy nodded.

"My sister told me you would be coming. Welcome, young hero! I am the Great Fairy of Nayru's Magic. The spell I am going to teach you is called Nayru's Love. It will create a protective shield around you that can stop any attack. Beware, as the longer you use it, the quicker your magic will drain. Now, focus your magic to all over your body, and then imagine a shield surrounding you." Link did as he was told.

**Nayru's Love!**

The shield was shaped like a diamond, and was slightly transparent. It was colored blue. The Great Fairy giggled.

"My sister was right. You are very skilled with magic, young hero! Use the spell wisely!" With those words, the Great Fairy disappeared. Link then left the Great Fairy Fountain.

* * *

Back outside, the two boys left, and made their way to the Lost Woods. After being greeted by the Kokiri and answering questions about the outside world, the two headed to the Lost Woods. After climbing up the cliff that held the entrance, the two went in. This time, they walked to their left. The clearing they emerged in was occupied by only a single boulder sitting in the middle of the clearing. For the fourth time, Link pulled out a Bomb and blew the rock up. He again entered, this time jumping down a hole.

* * *

As Link landed, he was slowed by what was obviously magic. Link stepped forth and played Zelda's Lullaby on his Fairy Ocarina. The Great Fairy appeared with giggles.

"Who seeks Farore's Secret from me, the Great Fairy of Farore's Magic?" she asked. Link stepped forward, feeling that it was part of some sort of ritual.

"I do. I am Link, from the Kokiri Forest." Link replied. The Great Fiary nodded.

"I was told by my sisters that one seeks entrance to the Zora's Domain. You'll need the spell I teach to do so. I shall pass on Farore's Wind to you. There are two variants, though both serve the same purpose. Farore's Wind is a warping spell. The first variant that I'll have you do is the short-range version. Focus on a spot here, then focus your magic. Make yourself light and invisible as the wind, then you'll disappear and reappear in the spot you focused on." Link did as he was told, and felt himself being squeezed through a tube.

**Farore's Wind!**

Link reappeared where he'd expected. The Great Fairy clapped.

"Bravo! Few have ever mastered Farore's Wind on their first try!" she said. "Next, focus the spell outward. This will make a Warp Point, which can be warped to freely." Link made a Warp Point, then walked across the room. He focused the Warp Point.

**Farore's Wind!**

Link opened his eyes and saw he'd arrived. The Great Fairy nodded.

"Good. You've learned Farore's Wind. There is no limit to the Warp Points you can set up, but remember which one you want to go to. Also, if someone or something is touching you, that object will also be warped with you. Remember to use this spell wisely!" the Great Fairy said, disappearing. Link left the Great Fairy Fountain.

* * *

After re-emerging from the hole, Link led Sora out of the Lost Woods, and the two made their way back to the Zora's Domain. When they two arrived, it was late afternoon. Link and Sora made their way to the first obstacle. There, they saw a tall fence blocking their way. There was no way to climb it or go around it. Link grabbed Sora's shoulder.

"Hold on, pal!" Link said. He focused on himself and Sora appearing on the other side of the fence.

**Farore's Wind!**

Sora then felt like he was being squeezed through a tube and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw that he and Link were on the other side of the fence.

"What was that? That was cool!" Sora said. Link smiled.

"It's called Farore's Wind. I learned it from the Great Fairy in the Lost Woods." Link replied. He and Sora continued forward. This time, they came to a circle of torches that were unlit. There was a gate in front of them, but it was locked tight. Link stepped in the middle of the torches. "Watch out, Sora!" Link warned before focusing on his magic.

**Din's Firewall!**

The dome of fire surrounded Link, and then lit all of the torches as the Kokiri boy dispelled it. The gate opened, and the two made their way forward. The next section had several Crystal Switches in a circle. A door in a stone wall blocked the way forward. Link stepped into the circle, then focused his magic to the Kokiri Sword.

**Hero Skill: Super Spin!**

As the magic left the sword, it hit the switches. This opened the door for Link and Sora to continue. Finally, there was another gate that was locked. There was a switch for it, but it was blocked by a wall of flame. After trying a Deku Seed (which burned up) and Sora tried using Strike Raid (the fire caused the Keyblade to go off course), Link focused his magic while walking toward the fire. Sora stared at Link like he'd gone insane.

"Are you _nuts!?_ That fire will kill you!" Sora said, but Link didn't answer. Instead, he used the last spell he'd been given.

**Nayru's Love!**

As the shield surrounded Link, he stepped into the flames. On the other side, he dispelled the spell, then hit the switch. Link then made his way back to the other side in the same manner that he'd gone over. With the way open, the two made their way up the steep slope, stopping in front of a waterfall. Link saw a Triforce symbol on the ground. He pulled out his Fairy Ocarina and played Zelda's Lullaby. This caused the water flow to slow down, and the two could see a cave behind the water. Link and Sora jumped across the gap into the waterfall, taking their first steps into the Zora's Domain.


	13. April Fool Special

**A/N: Here's the next chapter for the Legend of Hyrule Hearts! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 11: Fun and Games! A Break from the Journey!**

After seeing the beauty that was the Zora's Domain, Link and Sora backtracked out to Hyrule Field. They'd both decided that they were almost done with their quest, so a little fun could be had. Right? Right.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Link asked as he and Sora walked along the river, this time following it downstream. Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno… what do you wanna do?" he asked. Link shook his head. Navi then decided to see why the two weren't going to continue into the Zora's Domain.

"**Hey!** Link, Sora! Why aren't we going to enter the Zora's Domain?" she asked. Link shook his head.

"We need to relax, Navi! After all, all work and no play makes Mido a dull boy." Link replied. Sora laughed at the comment. Navi shook her head.

"Don't you two know that we don't have much time left? Ganondorf could be making his move as we speak!" Navi said. Link shook his head.

"You don't know anything about this game, do ya? We all know that Ganondorf will be frozen at the ready and somehow outside of the game until we get the last Spiritual Stone. Then, as we approach Hyrule Castle, we'll see Zelda fleeing and Ganondorf following. Zelda will throw us the Ocarina of Time, and then Ganondorf will hit us with a blast as we try to defend Zelda. We'll get the Ocarina, open the Door of Time, and then we'll be whisked off to Sora's realm as Ganondorf assumes control of Hyrule as the 'King of Evil'." Link said. Sora stared, his eyes bugging out of his head.

"How do you know all of that?" Sora asked. Link laughed, pulling out a book.

"It's all here in the official Legend of Hyrule Hearts strategy guide from Prima. It only cost me $69.97, plus taxes, and shipping and handling." Link replied. Navi, meanwhile, was shaking her head.

"So much for the fourth wall, and the element of somewhat surprise the author had." Navi said. She then turned to Link. "Well, we still need to get that Sapphire! Otherwise, the readers are gonna get bored!" Navi told Link.

"What do I care? I don't need the readers!" Link scoffed. He then grabbed Navi and pulled out his Kokiri Blade.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING LINK! **HEY! LISTEN!**" Navi shouted. Link merely laughed.

"I'm doing what I should've done a long time ago!" Link replied, brandishing the Kokiri Sword menacingly. He then pulled out some string, and tied Navi's wings against her body. He then procured from his magic pouch a badminton set. He turned to Sora. "Up for a game of badminton?" he asked, holding the Kokiri Sword like it was a racquet. Sora nodded, summoning the Keyblade.

"You serving first?" he asked. Link nodded.

"Here comes the birdie! I mean, Fairy!" Link called. He tossed Navi up and, ignoring her screams, hit her with the blunt edge. Navi sailed over the net, and Sora returned the serve with an upward swing of his Keyblade. The two proceeded to play, with Link beating Sora by two points. The two then noticed a Hylian Knight running up as they untied Navi and put the badminton set away.

"Bad news! Zelda's been kidnapped by Ganondorf! He's taken over Hyrule Castle!" the guard said before dropping from the many wounds he'd received. Navi glared at Link and Sora as the two exchanged sheepish looks.

"Well, let's go get that Sapphire…" Link said. Sora nodded, and the two made their way back to the Zora's Domain.

* * *

**A/N: If you guys haven't guessed it already, April Fools! Heh, I couldn't resist this chapter being an April Fools one! I'll replace it with the _real_ Chapter 11 tomorrow!  
**


	14. Chapter 11

**A/N: A little later than I promised it, but the _real_ Chapter 11 is here!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Zoras' Emergency! Locate Ruto the Princess!**

Link and Sora stepped inside the cavern that comprised of the Zora's Domain. There was a lot of water to the left of the stone pathway. The two boys followed along the path. They were approached by one of the Zoras living there. The Zora was white-ish blue, and looked humanoid. However, he had fins coming from his arms, and he had a tail coming from the back of his head.

"Ah! You are the ones that entered! Normally, visitors are welcomed, but we're having a bit of an emergency." the Zora said. Link and Sora stared at him curiously.

"Maybe we can help. What's the issue?" Sora asked. The Zora shook his head.

"I'm afraid that's Zora business. Please, feel free to look around if you wish!" the Zora said. Link and Sora nodded, and continued on along the stone path. At the end of the stone path, there was a doorway. After entering it, Link and Sora saw a rather large Zora sitting in front of a tunnel. Another Zora was standing by the door.

"Hello, travelers. You stand before His Majesty, King Zora." the attendant said. Link and Sora nodded. The two continued to explore, going to the left. However, they had to walk through some water and both had wet feet. There, they saw yet another Zora standing in front of a waterfall.

"Either one of you boys wanna play the Zora Diving Game?" he asked. Sora shook his head, but Link decided to give it a go. The Zora pulled out five blue Rupees. "All you gotta do is pay 10 Rupees. I'll throw these Rupees into the water below, and you gotta collect them all in a minute." Link pulled out the ten Rupees, and handed them to the game attendant, who threw them down into the water below. Link followed after, gracefully diving into the water. He managed to collect two Rupees before having to surface. After catching his breath, he dove back down and got the other three. Link then had to swim his way over to a ladder, which took him back to the stone path at the entrance of the Zoras' Domain. After walking back along the path, he wound up at the game attendant's spot.

"Well? How did I do?" Link asked. The Zora smiled.

"You won!" he said. "So, you get to keep the Rupees. You also get this prize." the Zora then handed Link a small, silver scale. "That's a Zora scale. It lets you stay underwater for a longer period of time." Link accepted the scale. The two then made their way back to the large lake. They two discovered a small cavern along one of the walls below the path. When they entered, Link saw a note under a rock. He picked it up, and read it.

"Help! I am trapped in the belly of Jabu-Jabu!

Please don't tell my father!

-Princess Ruto Zora"

Link showed Sora the note.

"I think we need to talk to the King." Sora said. Link nodded in agreement. The two made their way to the Throne Room of King Zora again. Link turned to the attendant of the Zora Monarch.

"Excuse me. We have something of importance to show the King." Link said. He showed the note to the attendant, who disappeared into a secret door. He re-appeared next to the King. After the two talked back and forth for a minute, King Zora turned to Link and Sora.

"I'm requesting you two to go venture into Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly, and find my daughter." he said. The attendant ushered them through the door. Link and Sora obeyed, coming to a fork in the tunnel. The attendant appeared from the path leading to the King Zora.

"Here. You'll need this fish. Feed it to Lord Jabu-Jabu, then enter when he goes to consume it." the attendant handed them a fish. Sora accepted the fish, and the two followed the other fork. They emerged on a wooden platform outside. There, they saw a large creature that looked like a whale.

"Would you look at that." Sora said. They heard someone walking behind them, and the attendant emerged from the cave.

"That is Lord Jabu-Jabu. He's the patron deity of the Zoras. Normally, Princess Ruto is in charge of fixing his meals. I must warn you, though. Lord Jabu-Jabu has been sick lately. If you can, could you see what's causing him to be in pain?" the attendant asked. The two nodded, and the attendant thanked them before turning back. Link and Sora stepped forward. Sora tossed the fish on the ground in front of them. Jabu-Jabu didn't react for a moment, and then he opened his mouth. The whale started to inhale, and Link and Sora were pulled in by the suction created. The two boys screamed as they were pulled into the creature's mouth. However, their cries were drowned out as the deity closed his mouth, sealing the two inside.


	15. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well, the next chapter is here! As usual (since I forgot on the previous chapters), I do not own the awesomeness within! The only thing that's mine is the specific changes to the game.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 12: Eaten by Lord Jabu-Jabu! Ruto's Precious Item!**

Link and Sora stared in front of them. They were actually inside of the whale-like deity that was Lord Jabu-Jabu. There were a few bubbles floating in front of them, but Navi told the two boys that they were harmless. However, the two were attacked by three jellyfish-like creatures. Navi quickly warned Link and Sora about their newest adversary.

"**Hey! Look out!** Those are Biri! They're covered in electricity, so I wouldn't attack them with your swords! Find a way to defeat them from a distance!" Navi said. Link nodded as she disappeared back under his hat. He pulled out his trusty slingshot, and used it to dispatch of the creatures. Sora, meanwhile, summoned the Keyblade and threw it at one of the Biri.

**Strike Raid!**

With the enemies dispatched, Link and Sora made their way to the other side of the room. There, they saw the way forward was blocked by what looked to be a layer of cartilage.

"There has to be a way forward." Link muttered. After looking around, he saw a switch that looked like a uvula above them. He pulled out the slingshot... and saw he was out of ammo. "Well, for the love of Nayru!" Link cursed. Sora asked what had happened, and Link told him that he was out of ammo for the slingshot. Sora nodded and took aim with the Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade whirled through the air, hitting the switch. This caused the cartilage "door" to open. The two made their way forward and saw Princess Ruto. Well, it had to be her, unless there were other Zoras hanging out inside Jabu-Jabu's belly. Link and Sora stepped forward. Ruto turned to them.

"Princess Ruto!" Link cried out to the Zora, hoping that it was the Zora Princess so they could be done with this place.

"Who are you?" the Zora asked. Link decided to do the introductions.

"My name is Link, and this is my friend and companion, Sora. We're here to get you out of here." Link told her. Ruto scoffed.

"Did my father put you up to this task?" she asked. Sora nodded. "Hmph! Let him worry! I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was younger." Ruto then shook her head. "Something weird is up with Lord Jabu-Jabu, though. There are parasites everywhere. To top it off, I lost the precious item my mother gave me." Ruto saw Link was about ready to speak up. "Before you say it, the answer is no! I don't need your stinkin' help! I can get it on my own!" Ruto said. She walked off, and promptly fell down a hole in the floor. Link and Sora shrugged, and then followed the Zora Princess. When they landed, Sora looked around.

"So, this is what a whale looks like on the inside, eh?" he asked. Ruto then turned around and saw the two heroes.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't NEED HELP!" Ruto said, practically shouting at the two. Link and Sora exchanged glances, then shook their heads. Apparently, Ruto decided to change her mind. "Okay, I'll give you guys the distinct honor of helping me out!" she said. Link sighed. Was she serious!? Well, whatever. Link and Sora decided they'd split up and go exploring. Just as the two started to leave, Ruto got angry. "What, you guys are just gonna _leave_ me here?" she asked. Link sighed.

"I guess we won't split up, Sora." Link said. Sora nodded. The three then went through the door on the west side of the room. Inside, there were several larger jellyfish-like creatures. Navi, as usual, came out to warn Link and Sora of their newest aquatic foes.

"**Look out!** Those are Bari! When they're defeated, they release one to four Biri! They also can charge themselves with electricity, so watch out!" Navi warned before disappearing back under Link's hat. The Kokiri could only watch as Sora dispatched of the Bari and Biri that were attacking. Soon, all the jellyfish-like creatures were destroyed. A chest appeared in the middle of the room. Link, Sora, and Ruto approached the chest. Link opened it, and was rewarded with the Boomerang. Ruto gasped.

"That is the Boomerang! It's a sacred weapon of the Zora! It can stun enemies that it hits." Ruto said. Link nodded.

"Alright, then! Let's go!" Link said. He immediately threw the boomerang at a switch, which opened another door forward. In the room, Link saw another treasure chest. Upon opening it, he saw ammunition for his slingshot, which he picked up and put away. The group then had to backtrack to the room where Ruto had fallen. This time, they went through the east door.

"DUCK!" Sora shouted, hitting the deck. The three did, and saw that it was just another Biri. This one had been waiting by the door to ambush anyone who happened to come in. Link quickly got rid of the Biri with his boomerang. The three then looked around the room they were in. There was a drop in the floor, but it rose again on the other side. Link looked down in the water and saw a switch, guarded by three stingray- like enemies.

"**HEY!** Those are Stingers! They generally travel in packs! They also scour below the surface of their domain! This let's them keep themselves from harm and also allows them to sense vibrations nearby! When they sense a disruption, they'll launch themselves up and float around! If you get hit, they'll give you a good shock!" Navi warned. Link nodded.

"Well, seems like we'll have to defeat them to safely hit the switch... and we can't hit them under the water..." Link said. He then jumped down into the puddle. Immediately, the three Stingers launched themselves up. Sora took out one with his Keyblade by throwing it. Link hit the other two with his boomerang, which stunned them. A blow with the Kokiri Sword finished off the foes. Link stepped on the switch, which raised the water level and allowed the group to swim past the gap. In the next room, the three saw a Sapphire sitting on a ledge in the middle of the round room. Ruto turned to Sora.

"You! Carry me up there! That's my precious item!" Ruto said. Sora complied, though reluctantly and grumbling all the while. Sora grabbed the princess, and jumped onto the platform. Suddenly, the platform shot up into the ceiling.

"SORA! RUTO!" Link shouted out. All he heard was a muffled response. Link then watched as the elevator came back down. Link sighed in relief. "Oh, good, I thought I'd lost you gu-WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!" Link said, shouting when he saw the large octopus-like enemy that was on the elevator. Navi came out to tell him.

"**Look out!** That's a Big Octo! It's a giant Octorok that Lord Jabu-Jabu must have eaten! Normally, Octoroks can shoot rocks at a good distance, but this one is too large to do that! His weak spot is his back, so aim there!" Navi said. The fairy then disappeared back under Link's hat. Link nodded. The Big Octo jumped down from the platform and started to chase Link, who fled for his life. After running around for a few minutes, Link finally managed to catch up to the creature. He threw his Boomerang, remembering Ruto said that it was used to stun enemies. It worked, as the creature was stunned. Link quickly pulled out his sword and struck it. The Big Octo turned around and started to chase Link again. This time, spikes emerged from the elevator, meaning that Link had to be careful about where he stepped. Eventually, Link caught up to the Big Octo, striking it with the Boomerang. Again, Link attacked, and again he ran as the Big Octo chased him. When Link was almost behind the creature, it turned around and started to chase him again. Eventually, Link managed to get around the creature for the third time, hitting it again with his Boomerang. This time, the sword strike did the creature in, as it disappeared. Link then stepped onto the elevator and rode it up to the top level of Lord Jabu-Jabu.


	16. Chapter 13

**A/N: Two chapters in one day? Awesome! Take that, Link234521!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 13: Eaten by Lord Jabu! The Cause, Barinade!**

Link stepped off into the room the elevator led to. There was only one door forward, which Link entered. There, he was ambushed by several Biri. The Kokiri hero made short work of the gelatinous foes with his trusty Boomerang. Shortly after, Link was attacked by some Bari.

"Today just isn't my day..." Link muttered. He took care of the Bari and the resulting Biri before making his way to forward. There was a path split in three ways. Link couldn't take the center fork because there was a crackling red block in the way. It looked organic to Link, who sighed in exasperation. Taking the left fork, Link saw two doors. One of the rooms was seemingly empty. Link tried the other door, and saw a red tentacle-like mass hanging from the ceiling. The center section looked pinched. Navi came out from Link's hat to investigate, flying over to the tentacle.

"**Look out! **That tentacle is electrically charged! I wonder what would happen if you hit it with your boomerang?" Navi said, before returning and disappearing again. Link shook his head, but now the thought was running through is mind as well... So, he took aim and threw the Boomerang at it. The boomerang hit the pinched part of the tentacle, which caused the tentacle to swing at Link, who managed to roll out of the way. Link took aim and hit the pinched section again. Now, the tentacle was writhing in pain from the two its. After hearing a crackling noise, Link saw the tentacle start to shoot bolts of electricity out at him. Link managed to keep dodging, though he found it harder to stop and aim with the bolts flying at him. However, he managed to hit the tentacle a third time. The tentacle dropped separated at the pinched portion, with the top portion retracting somewhere while the bottom portion disappeared. Link sighed in relief, and left the room. Back in the main hallway, Link saw that the red block was gone, but there was a blue one behind it.

"Are you _kidding_ me!?" Link asked. He sighed and took the right fork. It was the same story. One room was seemingly empty. The other room had a tentacle like the one on the left fork, but it was blue. Link pulled out his Boomerang and threw it. The Boomerang struck the blue tentacle, which caused it to rush towards Link. Link dodged and hit the tentacle again, which caused it to (predictably) go into a rage and start firing bolts of electricity at him. After a few minutes, Link's Boomerang flew true and hit the pinched spot a third time. Just like with the red tentacle, the blue one split off at the pinched section. The top section retracted and the bottom section disappeared. Link went back to the main hall and checked the door. The blocks were gone, but the door wasn't open... and there were no switches nearby... Link stared at the door for a few minutes, then headed back down the left fork. He checked the tentacle room and saw nothing. Link then checked the empty room. There, he saw a Biri, a Bari, and a Stinger. Link dispatched of the Bari first, then took out all the Biri. Link then walked over to the Stinger, which launched itself in the air. Link stunned the Stinger with his Boomerang the killed it with his sword. Navi came out as Link left the room.

"**Hey!** I'll bet there are enemies in that other empty room, too!" Navi said. Link nodded as the fairy returned to Link's hat. Link walked down the right fork and was standing in front of the door. He had his Kokiri Shield and Kokiri Sword out and ready. When he entered the room, Link wanted to immediately run. The room was occupied by no less than 20 Stingers, all of which launched themselves into the air upon Link's entry. Link pulled out his Slingshot and went crazy with it. After Link was done, all the Stingers had fallen. Link sighed in relief. He left the hall, and saw that the door was open. Link stepped through, glad that the ordeal with the Stingers was over with. As Link stepped into the next room, he saw Sora fending off four Bari. Link went into action, throwing his Boomerang at the group. Sora grinned upon seeing Link before attacking himself.

**Strike Raid!**

Soon, the Bari were gone. Link turned to Sora.

"Uhh... Sora.. Where's Ruto?" Link asked the Keyblader as he looked around and failed to locate the Zora Princess. Sora looked around.

"Umm... she was right behind me a second ago." Sora replied, looking around in confusion. He shook his head. "I must've lost her when those Bari attacked." Link shook his head.

"Well, we'd better go find her then." Link said. Sora nodded, and the two proceeded through the door. In the next room, there were two pink-ish blocks that were wiggling about. If it weren't for the fac that they were wiggling about, the two boys saw that they could be used like stepping stones to the door. Link had an idea, and hit one of them with the Boomerang. It stopped bouncing around. Link hit the other one, and the two quickly crossed. As soon as they landed on the platform with the next door, the platforms came back to life. The two made their way into the next room, glad that they had gotten across without getting zapped.

"Why is the inside of a whale full of electricity!?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"I think it might be from the parasites." Link replied. Sora nodded. That made just about as much sense as anything else in this world, didn't it? The next room that Link and Sora found themselves in consisted of a locked door, a tall platform, and another uvula-like switch. There was no way to climb the platform, on which was a pane of glass with a Crystal Switch on the other side. Link hit the switch with his boomerang, which caused a ladder to drop down. The ladder was the height of the platform, and was right against it. Link scaled the ladder, and used the Boomerang to hit the Crystal Switch on the other side of the glass. The next room just contained some pots, which Link broke to replenish his Deku Seeds from the Stinger ordeal. There was also a intricately carved door that looked like it was made of cartilage. The two decided to take a break and they happened to finish off their Lon-Lon Milk. After they were rested, the two stepped into the intricately carved door. In the next room, They saw what looked like a giant jellyfish suspended from the ceiling. It looked like it was held up by the four tentacles attached to its body. Link stepped forward, and the beast lowered itself. Navi came out and told them of their electrically-charged nemesis.

**Bio-electric Anemone, Barinade**

"Be careful! It looks like it's sapping the life of Jabu-Jabu! See the Bari on it's body? They won't split into Biri, but you've got to get rid of them in order to harm it!" Navi warned. She quickly retreated to Link's hat as a bolt of electricity barely missed her. Link and Sora went to work, as did Barinade. The parisite sent out five Bari to deal with the two. After all, it had no time for shenanigans when there was survival to focus on. With that, it re-attached itself to ceiling. Sora took care of the Bari in one fell blow.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade whirled through the air, leaving the Bari as nothing more than shriveling bodies. Link took aim with his Boomerang, hitting one of Barinade's tentacles that attached it to the ceiling. The beast roared in pain, and sent more Bari to attack. Again, Sora covered Link as the Kokiri boy took aim with his Boomerang, again hitting a tentacle. Barinade was almost separated from the ceiling, and it's roars confirmed that it was not very happy. More Bari came at the two as Link threw the Boomerang a third time. The final tentacle was struck, and Barinade dropped down. The parasite lifted itself off of the floor, and then sent out 10 Bari. The Bari circled Barinade, with an electric current running between them and their master. Link and Sora worked together to take out the Bari. Link threw his Boomerang, and Sora hurled the Keyblade.

**Strike Raid!**

Again and again, the two weapons whirled through the air, each time a Bari falling to them. Soon, Barinade was left with no more Bari. The monster roared in anger, and started to spin around. It targeted Sora, realizing that the Keybearer was one of the adversaries that dared to disturb its peace and kill its minions. Sora ran away, and thought he was safe. That was until he saw a blob of electricity hurling toward him. He dodged, and Link struck Barinade with the Boomerang. The gelatinous monstrosity was stunned. The two travelers took advantage of that to strike with their weapons. Barinade soon recovered and started again. This time, it chased after Link, the holder of the accursed Boomerang. Sora decided to try something.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade flew through the air once more, and it struck Barinade. It didn't faze the gelatinous monster, but it did start chasing Sora. Link too aim with the Boomerang once again. Again, Barinade found itself unable to move. This time, the blows the boys rained down on it were just too much for the parasitic beast to handle. It writhed in pain, which Link recognized as its death throes. The monster then exploded in a shower of intestines and electricity. From out of the middle of the mess emerged the Zora Princess the two had been looking for: Ruto.

"Hmph! Took you two long enough!" she berated the boys. "A lady would think that you two didn't care!" Ruto then turned away. "Thanks, anyway." she added. Link and Sora nodded, and all three left via the blue portal that appeared in the middle of the room. When they arrived outside, they were swimming in the Zora's Fountain... and Ruto was pretty close to Link. The Kokire boy screamed and swam backwards. This reaction caused Ruto to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Link asked. Ruto giggled again.

"Oh, nothing! Now, for saving me, I'll let you have any one item." Ruto said. Link started to say something, but decided against it.

"Can we have the Zora's Sapphire?" Sora asked. Ruto pulled out the item in question.

"You mean this? Well..." Ruto trailed off. She then acquired a sly smile. "My mother said I'm only supposed to give it to my future husband. She called it the 'Zora's Engagement Ring'. I suppose I could give it to you." Ruto said. She then handed the Sapphire to Link. The two boys decided to stay at the Zora's Domain a little while longer, and were congratulated by all the Zoras. Meanwhile, they were watched by the one that had become smitten with Link. Ruto turned to her dad. "Dad? I'm sorry I ran off, but Jabu-Jabu swallowed the Sapphire." she apologized. The King nodded.

"Now that boy has it, right?" King Zora asked. Ruto nodded. "Interesting... and a wise choice, young Ruto." King Zora told his daughter, placing an arm over her shoulder.


	17. Chapter 14

**A/N: Well, we're done with OoT for now! That's right! This chapter brings us to a close of the first section of the Legend of Hyrule Hearts, Part 1! I want to thank all the reviewers, especially Link234521, who has been the most consistent person I've been speaking with about the story! Interwebz cookie for you, Link234521!**

** As usual, I do not own the awesome characters within, just the changes I've made to the storylines. Loz belongs to Nintendo, and KH belongs to Square Enix!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Navi's annoyingness, Boss Name, Ganondorf's Speech

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Deity speech

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 14: Rush to Hyrule Castle! Ganondorf's Take Over!**

Link and Sora didn't linger very long in the Zora's Domain. After all, Ganondorf could very well be making his move right now. The two boys hastened out of the domain. They were slowed when Link had to use Farore's Wind to get them past the fence. Soon, the two were back in Hyrule Field. The sun rising in the distance did little to assuage the feeling of doom that was welling up inside of Link and Sora. Something was wrong, and they both knew it. As they hastily walked along the path back to Hyrule Castle, Link couldn't help but think about how long it would take them to reach Castle Town. Sora turned to his friend.

"So, Link... do you think we'll make it on time?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"You know, I can't really say." Link replied shaking his head again. "If someone told me a few years ago that I'd be a part of a quest to save the world at age nine, I'd ask 'em if they'd been drinking too much milk from Chateau Romani." Link said. Sora's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Wait... you mean to tell me that you're only _nine years old!?_" Sora asked. Link nodded. Sora shook his head. "Unbelievable... I've keep getting outshined by a kid six years younger than me..." he muttered. Link laughed at the statement. After a few hours, the two were nearing the gates of Castle Town. The sky darkened ominously as the two approached the gate. The drawbridge leading to Castle Town was up. "What's going on?" Sora asked. However, he did not get a response. "Umm... Link?" Sora looked over at his partner. Link, meanwhile was shaking his head.

"Oh, man... not this... this is just like my dream." Link said. However, Link's worst fears were soon realized, as the drawbridge lowered. Out raced a white horse. Riding on it were Impa and Zelda. The Princess of Hyrule turned back.

"LINK!" she shouted, throwing something toward the two. Whatever it was landed in the moat surrounding the walls of Castle Town. Shortly after, Ganondorf himself came riding out on a black horse.

"**Curses... I've lost 'em..." **he muttered. He then turned toward Link and Sora. "**You boys! Did you see a woman and a young girl ride past here on a white horse?**" he asked. Neither Link nor Sora said a word. "**Trying to protect them, are you? No matter, I'll hunt them down.**" That's when Ganondorf heard the sound of a sword being drawn. He also head a distinct _poof_! He turned and saw the Link and Sora had drawn their weapons. Ganondorf laughed. "**You both want a piece of me, eh? Well, you're bold if nothing else!**" Ganondorf then raised his left hand at the duo. Energy built up and shot out at the two, knocking them back. Ganondorf then reared the horse before racing off in the same direction that Zelda and Impa fled. Sora and Link managed to get up.

"Well, that hurt..." Sora said. He saw Link walking toward the moat. He jumped in, and retrieved the item that Zelda had thrown at them. When he resurfaced, he was holding a purple ocarina. It had the symbol of the Triforce painted on it. "What is that?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"I think it's the Ocarina of Time." Link shook his head at that.

"Nah, it can't be." he replied Link nodded.

"Yeah... I must be going crazy." Link said before blacking out. Sora managed to catch his friend.

* * *

In Link's mind, he was standing in a vast white expanse. Then, Zelda was next him. Both were holding an Ocarina of Time.

"Link, if you're getting this message, that means that Ganondorf has taken over and I've gone into hiding. However, I managed to leave this message with you to teach you the Song of Time, which will help you get to the Sacred Realm." Zelda then played a series of notes which Link repeated. Zelda nodded. "Hurry! You must not let Ganondorf get his hands on the Triforce!" Zelda said. With those words, Link was returned to the world of consciousness.

* * *

Link awoke, much to the relief of Sora.

"What was that all about?" the Keyblader asked. Link stood up.

"Well, Zelda taught me the Song of Time... turns out this _is_ the Ocarina of Time." Link said. The two then made their way to Castle Town. The two saw what looked like a church of sorts behind the buildings. That was where the duo made their way toward. When they arrived, they stepped into the door. They were then looking at the inside of the Temple of Time. There was a red carpet that ran from the entrance to an altar ahead of them. The ceiling was so high, it was lost in the shadows as the bright sunlight came in through the ornate windows.

"Whoa..." Breathed Sora. Link and Sora then stepped forward to the pedestal. Link read the text aloud.

"Ye that seek the Sacred Realm, place the three Keys on the Pedestal, then play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time in front of the Door of Time." Link then pulled out the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire, and placed them on the altar. Link and Sora went to the other side of the altar. There, Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and played the Song of Time. There was silence, then the Door of Time swung open. Link and Sora stepped through. The next room had an even higher ceiling. There was only one window, and the sunlight streamed in through it. The light fell on a sword sitting blade-down in a pedestal. The sword had a purple hilt with a yellow gem at the bottom of the hilt. Navi came out of Link's hat.

"**Hey!** Guys, that's the legendary blade, the Master Sword!" Navi said. The two walked up to the pedestal. Sora tried pulling the blade out, but it didn't budge.

"Huh... must be stuck." Sora said. Link stepped up to try. Sora moved out of the way, curious if Link could pull it out. Link tugged on the blade, feeling it start to move. He then pulled the Master Sword entirely from it's pedestal. Link and Sora were surrounded by a blue light, and then they were carried up and away. Watching them go was a figure standing in the doorway of the Door of Time: Ganondorf. He chuckled.

"**Just as I thought, you two had the Keys all along! Well, thanks to you, I can now claim the Sacred Power of the Triforce as my own!**"

* * *

Link and Sora found themselves in a blue hexagonal room. There were six circles around them, each with a symbol. However, only one was occupied. There was a rotund man standing on one of the circles. He was balding, but had a healthy amount of facial hair, though it was white. Link and Sora stared at him.

"_**Hello, Link! You too, Sora!**_" The man greeted them. Link and Sora merely nodded back. **"_Welcome to the Chamber of Sages. I am Rauru, the Sage of Light, and I have something of importance to tell you._**" The two nodded. First, Rauru turned to Link. "_**Look at you, Link. You're a man now. That means we'll have to replace some of your equipment.**_" He said. Link looked down at himself and nearly screamed. He'd aged, and he'd grown up. Sora looked over at Link and did scream.

"LINK! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" he shouted. Rauru chuckled.

"_**I know that both of you heard the story of Hyrule's creation. What wasn't told was that there was a Hero who wielded a sword that was imbued with the Bane of Evil. Well, that sword was the Master Sword, and that hero decreed that the next time it shall be wielded would be by the Hero of Time.**_" Rauru turned to Link. "**_You are the Hero of Time, Link. However, when you drew the Master Sword, it deemed you as worth of the title 'Hero of Time', but you were too young to take the title. So, the Master Sword sealed you away. However, the Master Sword wishes to test you. You will travel with Sora to his dimension, called the Scattered Realms. There, the worlds are scattered, hence the name. The Scattered Realms are under attack by an enemy that the residents call 'the Heartless'. Only you two are able to go and defeat them. If you two succeed, the Master Sword will accept Link as its true master. This is important since Ganondorf now seeks to take over Hyrule. Link, you'll notice an increase in your combat prowess, but be warned, for I have been told by the Goddesses that this journey will take seven years. There's no telling what would be come of Hyrule. To make up for that, the Goddesses aged your body seven years._**" Rauru finished telling them.

"Okay, so when do we leave?" Sora asked. Rauru shook his head.

"_**First, I have been instructed to do some things by the Goddesses.**_" Rauru turned to Link. "**_First, Link, had me your Kokiri Shield and the Kokiri Sword._**" Link did as he was told. Rauru the handed Link a Hylian Shield. "_**A Hylian Shield to replace your Kokiri one. However, that is no ordinary Hylian Shield. It is endowed with the properties from another shield, called the Mirror Shield. This shield can deflect beams and other energy-based magic. It is also indestructible. Your Master Sword can do the same, and is also indestructible.**_" Rauru told Link. Link nodded and strapped the Hylian Shield across his back along with the Master Sword in it's sheath. Rauru the focused on his power and warped the two away from the Chamber of Sages.


	18. Chapter 15

**A/N: First chapter of the KH part of LoHH! I actually have review responses as well!**

**Prometheus: I'm gonna tackle all three of yours in one go. Firstly, I'm not sure if he did use it that much, but I figured I'd better make his speech consistent. Second, I've been talking to Link234521 over PM a lot. That's why he's my most consistent contact. Third, I'm glad that made you laugh. To answer the question: Yes, Link is going to be an adult for the rest of the fic, not just the KH part or LoHH Pt. 1.**

**sokairoxnam12349: Thanks! I meant to reply sooner, but didn't get around to it.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 15: Where are we!? Combating the Heartless!**

Traverse Town, Scattered Realms

Link and Sora landed with a _thud!_ Unfortunately for them, they landed on a cobbled pathway.

"Owww..." Sora muttered. They looked around. The buildings that were around them looked to be from the Victorian age. Sora saw a sign that read "First District", which he pointed out to Link.

"Yeah, but that doesn't quite help us with where we are..." Link said. Sora nodded. He still was trying to get used to Link being older and taller than he was. The two headed to what looked like the middle of the area. Two lamps were there, glowing in the night. Suddenly, 20 shadows became creatures! The creatures had a vaguely humanoid structure, with round spherical heads. Staring at the world were two glowing eyes. Two long, twisted antennae were sprouting from the tops of their heads. Each of their hands had three clawed fingers, and they had large feet with no discernible digits. Minus the eyes, the creatures were dark black. Sora groaned.

"It's those creatures from the island!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade. Link drew the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.

"Well, let's see what this enhanced combat prowess does, shall we?" Link asked, getting into a ready stance. Sora turned back to Link.

"I tried fighting them with a sword, and it didn't work out so well." Sora said. Link nodded and stepped back, putting his weapons away. Sora then rushed at the creatures. He defeated three of them with a horizontal swipe. One of them swung at him with its clawed hands, but Sora blocked the blow with his Keyblade. He then retaliated by stabbing with the Keyblade, sending the Heartless back to wherever it came from. After a rough battle, Sora managed to defeat the Heartless. Suddenly, about 30 more of the creatures appeared. Link and Sora did the only thing they could think to do: they ran for it. Straight ahead they saw a shop. The two quickly ran inside, slamming the door shut.

"Hey! Whaddya think you two are doin'?" Link and Sora turned around and saw a man standing behind a counter. He had short blond hair and wore a pair of flight goggles across his forehead. He had on a white t-shirt, blue baggy pants, an a wide orange waistband with thin vertical stripes on it. The man was chewing on a toothpick. There were thuds heard from outside. Link and Sora groaned. The man bent over to get something from behind the counter. "Lousy Heartless, eh? Move over!" he said. Link and Sora saw he had a backpack with a nozzle attached to it on. They complied, but started to panic when he opened the door.

"Mister, don't!" Sora shouted, but it was too late. The man opened the door, and then flipped a few switches.

"YOU'RE BAD FOR BUSINESS, CREEPS!" the man shouted, as a huge stream of flames shot out at the Heartless. Link and Sora stared as the flames disappeared, their eyes bugging out of their heads. "There, that oughta do the trick." he said, closing the door and returning the flamethrower back underneath the counter. "So, you kids are new, eh?" he asked. Link and Sora nodded. "Nice to meet ya! My name's Cid!"

"Exactly where are we?" Link asked. Cid eyed the Kokiri with something akin to suspicion before answering.

"This here is the First District of Traverse Town. It's a place where those who've lost their homes to the Heartless wind up. I'm assuming you guys lost your homes?" Sora nodded while Link shook his head no. Cid stared at the two, a confused expression marking his face.

"Well, make up your minds! Which is it?" he asked.

"I lost my home. He didn't." Sora replied. Cid stared at Link again.

"Then how'd he get here?" he asked, pointing at the green-clad teen with his thumb.

"That's a long story." Link replied. Cid pulled three chairs out from behind the counter.

"Go ahead... I got a lot of time on my hands." Cid said. So, Link and Sora told Cid about all that had happened to them: Sora winding up in the Kokiri Forest, the hunt for the Spiritual Stones, and being sent here by Rauru. Cid stared at the duo afterward. "Boy, if that ain't the darndest tale I ever heard, I don't know what is. Well, I guess I gotta believe ya. You know what they say: It's the crazy stuff that can't be made up." Cid said. He then sent the two along their way. One thing he made sure to tell them was that the First District was generally safe from the Heartless. As soon as Link and Sora stepped outside, they were stopped by another man. He had long brown hair, black gloves, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver necklace, and a white undershirt. He also wore a black short-sleeved jacket. He carried a sword that had a handle like a gun, which was slung over his shoulder.

"You two... you're the ones I've been looking for..." he said. Link and Sora stared at him with confused looks. "There's a couple of people waiting to meet you." he said, shifting to a ready stance. Link and Sora did the same. Link drew his Master Sword and Hylian Shield while Sora readied the Keyblade, which he hadn't dispelled.

"Looks like we're not very welcome here, eh, Sora?" Link asked. Sora nodded.

"Guess not, Link." he replied.

"Link and Sora, eh? Well, to make it fair, my name is Leon." he said. He then rushed at the two, moving faster than either one could have comprehended. Leon attacked Sora first, who managed to block the first few blows. The Keyblader was unable to keep up, and after a few seconds Leon managed to get an opening. He struck Sora on the temple, knocking him out. Leon then turned to Link. "Just make this easier for me and give up..." Leon said. Link scoffed.

"Not a chance, pal. After what I've been through, I'm not giving up!" Link said determinedly. After all, Hyrule was counting on his return. Leon sighed.

"Fine... have it your way." he said, before rushing at Link with the same speed. Link reflexively blocked with the Hylian Shield, the sword meeting it with a resounding _clang!_ The two then traded blows, blocking and parrying. Link did a few backflips to get some space, then reached into his pouch. What he pulled out made him grin. Though he'd lost the use of some of his items, it looked like he'd retained his bombs. Link tossed the explosive, which lit on its own. Leon stopped to observe the black spherical object, moving in just a tad bit closer to examine it. _BOOM!_ Leon was knocked backwards by the blast. In a flash, Link had the Master Sword at Leon's throat.

"You were saying?" Link said. Leon sighed.

"Okay, you beat me. I wasn't here to fight you two though. I was actually here to let you guys know that there's someone looking for you." Leon replied. Link helped the man up after putting his sword and shield away, and then picked Sora up. Leon took the Keyblade. "So... this is the Key, eh?" he muttered underneath his breath. Link followed Leon, marveling at how much stronger and faster he was. Leon led the Kokiri to a hotel. On the first floor, there were two doors. One was red and the other green. Leon walked into the the red door with Link following. The Hero of Time set Sora down on the bed. They were joined by two women. One had violet eyes and short black hair, and wore a metal headband with two green tassles. She also wore a yellow scarf, a green tube top two blue belts holding it up, tan short-shorts with loose, blue belt around her waist, white socks that reached about mid-thigh, orange shoes, and mesh sleeves on her arms that disappeared into orange, fingerless gloves with black bands constricting the ends. The second woman wore a pink dress with magenta lining and buttons going down the front, all of which were buttoned except for the last two. She had a black string tied in belt around her waist and another tied around neck like a necklace. She had brown hair and blue eyes. Before anyone could say anything, Sora began to stir. The black-haired female leaned over Sora.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. Sora didn't answer at first.

"Oooogh... Kairi? Is that you?" he asked. Link facepalmed. Sora was delusional. The girl, however, seemed to take offense to that.

"Kairi? Who's that? My name is Yuffie!" she said, turning around to face Leon. "I think you overdid it, Squall!" she said. A vein throbbed on Leon's head.

"That's Leon!" he shot back. Link cleared his throat.

"Kairi is the name of one of Sora's friends. He's been looking for her since their world was destroyed." Link said. Everyone turned to stare at him. Yuffie walked closer to Link, who tensed up, ready to grab his weaponry.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"My name is Link. I come from the land of Hyrule." he replied. Yuffie turned to Leon.

"I thought they were both supposed to be knocked out?" she asked. Leon shook his head.

"The Keybearer was easy. This guy's another story. Pulled some kind of black explosive sphere from his pouch." he said, pointing to Link's magic pouch. Yuffie looked at it and laughed.

"Nah, you're just ashamed you got beat!" she said. She turned around to face Link, and saw him reach into the pouch and pull out a bomb. Yuffie stopped laughing then. Sora sat up.

"What's going on here?" he asked. He then saw his Keyblade leaning against the wall. "Hey! Give that back!" he said. Leon shook his head.

"We had to separate you from it so we could talk to you without being interrupted by the Heartless." Leon told Sora.

"So that's what the Heartless are..." Link muttered. The second lady turned toward Link.

"Ah, so Rauru already talked to you two?" she asked. Sora stared.

"Who are you, and how do you know Rauru?" Sora asked. Link walked over to Sora and then hit him in the back of the head before walking back over and leaning against the wall, much like Leon was. The brunette turned to Link.

"I am Aerith. I have spoken to Rauru as he decided to contact me in my dreams. Yes, those creatures you faced are called Heartless, though they have many more forms than that." Aerith said.

"Yeah, they've been plaguing the worlds for a while now." Leon said. Sora stared at him.

"You mean there are other worlds?" he asked. Leon nodded.

"Yeah, it's been a secret for so long because they've been seperated and scattered, but that's about to change. The Heartless have been going around and messing with things." Leon added.

"So... these Heartless... what kind of creatures are they?" Link asked. Leon turned to him.

"They're creatures of Darkness. They have no hearts and they're drawb to the Darkness in peoples' hearts. Every heart has Darkness in it..." Leon replied. Link nodded.

"We had to separate Sora from the Keyblade. They've been using it to track him. It's the only tool that can defeat them. Well, any magically imbued weapons and magic will do the trick." Aerith said. Link pulled the Master Sword from its sheath.

"What about a blade imbued with the Bane of Evil?" Link asked. Aerith nodded.

"That may work." Aerith replied. Sora then turned to Leon.

"I didn't ask for any of this... I just need to find... wait a minute! Riku! Kairi! My home! What happened to all that? Can I get my home back?" he asked. Leon shook his head.

"Honestly? I don't know... what I do know is that the Keyblade chooses it's master, and it chose you." Leon told him. At that moment, about 20 Soldier Heartless burst into the hotel. The Soldiers at first appeared as noble warriors, but they looked beastly Their muscular forms were covered in bluish-black body suits that bore the a strange emblem on it. They wore black, silver trimmed shoes that end in spiral toes, silver wristbands, and a silver knight's helm decorated with two angular, eye-like spirals on the front and a yellow stripe at the base of the curled silver plume. Their true Heartless behavior came out on a close examination of their fierce blue and red-tipped claws, and their shadowed faces with bright yellow eyes and toothy maw. Leon looked over and saw that the Keyblade had appeared in Sora's hand.

"Well... I guess beggars can't be choosers..." he muttered. He turned to Yuffie. "Yuffie, Aerith! Go! See if you can't find our other visitors!" Leon ordered. He turned to Sora and Link. "Let's see what you can do, Link! Sora!" he said. Sora nodded, getting up. Link smirked, pulling out the Master Sword, and readying the Hylian Shield. As the women left the room, the Heartless charged, feeling the presence of three strong hearts. Leon rushed forward, no less deadly now than he was during the fight with Link and Sora. Link kept blocking blows with his Hylian Shield and attacking the Heartless as they tried to recover. Sora was swinging the Keyblade, and Link noted that he was more skilled with the weapon now than when they'd first met. Soon, only one Heartless was left. It lept out the window. Leon, Link, and Sora followed, landing in the alley below.

"Looks like there's more of them." Link said. Leon nodded.

"Dont' bother with the small fry. If the Heartless are showing up in these kinds of numbers, there's a leader nearby somewhere." Leon replied. He pointed down one way of the alley. "I'll check the Second District, you two check out the Third District" Leon said, pointing down the opposite way. Link and Sora nodded, taking off. The Heartless that got in their way were decimated without a second thought. The two then came to a big square. It was empty, but they heard sounds from above.

"Gawrsh, you think these are the Heartless guys?"

"Fight, Goofy, fight!"

"I am Donald!" Link and Sora stepped out of the way as a duck and a dog fell down. Both got up. They saw Sora.

"The Key!" they said in unison. Link and Sora stared at the two, then turned toward the empty space as the ground started to rumble. A giant armored foot came down, followed by a second foot. A body and hands followed, with a head being last. The hands and feet were not connected to the body, but floated in place. Link wondered when Navi was going to come out and tell them of their newest enemy... then he realized he hadn't seen the fairy. Link felt in his hat and then paled at what he felt. Sora turned to Link.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Link nodded.

"Navi's gone..." Link said. Sora groaned.

"Just when we need her..." he said. Then, everyone heard a disembodied voice that sounded like it came from nowhere, but at the same time like it came from everywhere.

_**Your newest enemy is none other than **_

**Enchanted Armor, Guard Armor **

Sora realized he recognized the voice. The talking dog turned toward Link and Sora.

"We have the same enemy, so let's help each other out!" he said Link nodded, readying the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.

"Alright. Let's go!" he said. Link then focused on his magic.

**Farore's Wind!**

Link was pleased to see the warping spell still worked, and he found himself on the Guard Armor's back. He started to strike at it, but was shortly shaken off. As Link landed, the Guard Armor shot a beam at him, which he deflected back to the giant Heartless with his Hylian Shield. Sora had taken to attacking the body. As a result, he received a brutal back hand from the metallic Heartless, sending him crashing into the wall. The duck pointed his staff at Sora.

**Cure!**

Sora felt his injuries heal.

"Thanks!" he said, getting up. After working together the four of them managed to bring the giant Heartless down. The body parts all fell down before exploding in a brilliant flash of light. When it cleared, a heart was seen rising up before it disappeared.

"Wow... you guys are good!" The four turned around to see Yuffie, Aerith, Leon, and Cid standing at the entrance from the Third District. The four walked over to the group.

"Well, it looks like you four found each other." Aerith said. Goofy nodded. Sora stared at them confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They, too, have been seeking the Keybearer." Leon replied.

"Hey! Why don't you go with us! We can visit other worlds on our ship!" the dog said. Sora looked a little unsure.

"What about Riku and Kairi?" he asked.

"We'll find them too!" the duck replied.

"You two should go with them. They'll help find your friends." Leon told him. Sora nodded, then turned to Link.

"What about you, pal?" he asked. Link also nodded.

"I'm always up for a good challenge." he replied.

"Okay! I'm Goofy!" the dog said. "This here is my partner, Donald Duck!"

"I'm Sora, and my friend here is Link!" Sora replied. The four then stacked hands.

"All for one and one for all!" they said in unison. The four then headed toward what Goofy called the "Gummi Ship".

Unknown Location

Capt. Hook, Oogie Boogie, Ursula, Hades, Jafar, and Clayton are sitting watching the scene.

"That little brat took down that giant Heartless!" Hades said.

"He didn't do it alone... such is the power of the Keyblade." Jafar replied.

"Those other two look like a couple of the King's lackeys... a couple of bilge rats, by the looks of them!" Capt. Hook added in.

"You're no pretty picture yourself!" Oogie Boogie told the captain, laughing maniacally.

"What about the other kid?" Clayton asked. "Is he the other one that came through the Dimensional Rift with the brat?"

"Turn them all into Heartless... that'll settle 'em quick enough!" Ursula replied. Maleficent walked up.

"**Enough. The Keyblade has chosen him. Will he conquer the Darkness? Or will it swallow him up? Either way, they both could be useful. That one in green holds a powerful weapon, one that is on par with the Keyblade.**" Maleficent said.


	19. Chapter 16

**A/N: Next chapter for LoHH, and a review response:**

**kingdommast: Glad that your questions were cleared up. No, Part Two is not the KH part of the story. I just couldn't keep the ideas for Part Two confined to the paper where it belonged. Thanks for reading!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 16: Wonderland Adventure! Off With Her Head!**

Link, Sora, Donald, and Goofy boarded the Gummi Ship. While it looked small on the outside, it was quite spacious on the inside. There, they met Chip and Dale, two chipmunks that served as the mechanics for the Gummi Ship. After being chastised for touching everything they could, Link and Sora settled down and enjoyed the view of the stars in the sky. Link and Sora told their new companions about their adventures in Hyrule while they were flying along. Soon, they saw a speck in the distance.

"There's our next destination! Wonderland!" Donald told the two. Sora started to pace back and forth.

"I'm so excited!" he said. Goofy turned around.

"A-hyuck! Is this the first world you've been to?" Goofy asked. Donald hit him with his staff.

"Were you not listening to their story, Goofy?" Donald asked.

"Oh, yeah... I kinda forgot, a-hyuck!" Goofy replied. As the ship touched down, Sora hastily pushed everyone else out.

"Let's go!" he said. As they fell, it looked like they were going to hit the ground, then a hole opened up and swallowed the group. They then landed in a large room with a hallway. They heard a voice coming from behind them.

"Oh, dear! I'm late! I'm late, late, late! By my dear fur and whiskers, I'm late! I should be there, but I'm here! Oh, I'd better hurry! Otherwise, it'll be off with _my_ head next!" As the group turned around to look for the source of the noise, they saw a white rabbit running past them. He had on a fancy top and was looking at a golden pocket watch.

"Hey! Wait!" Sora shouted, but the rabbit did not stop. The four rushed after him. At the end of the hall was another room. There was a table, a bed, and some lamps hanging from the ceiling. They then saw that the rabbit had shrunk himself and went through a door. Link leaned down to look at the door.

"Wow... it's so small..." he said. "How do we get through something so small?" he asked.

"No, I'm not small. You're simply too big." Link and the rest of the group jumped back. The doorknob talked! "Now, I'm trying to take a nap. Drink some of the potion on the table, then go through so I can get back to sleep." the Doorknob replied. "I'm going to have to have a word with the White Rabbit... too much noise in here." Sora walked over to the table. There, he saw a bottle that was labeled "Drink Me".

"Is this it?" Sora asked. He took a drink. Suddenly, the room got bigger as the four shrank down to size. Sora stared around, his eyes bugging out of his head. "This is cool!" Link shook his head in response.

"No... this is weird..." he muttered. Donald nodded his head in agreement.

"If you ask me, it's too weird!" the duck said. Goofy was trying to get into the door, but it wouldn't budge. After listening, he heard snoring.

"A-hyuck! I think the Doorknob's asleep!" Goofy said.

"Aw, man, how do we get through now?" Sora asked, groaning in disappointment. Link, meanwhile, was looking around the room. The Kokiri teen noticed an opening that was hidden underneatht the bed.

"This looks small enough for us to go through..." he said. Sora nodded.

"Okay! Let's go!" The young Keyblader said, pushing his way forward. The group of four crawled through the hole, and ended up in an open space enclosed by hedge walls. There, they saw the White Rabbit on top of a stand on the left side of the room. He blew a loud trumpet, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Court is now in session!" he announced.

"Court? What, am I? On trial?" asked a female voice. The four noticed a girl in a light blue dress standing at a podium in the middle of the room. In front of the podium was a throne surrounded by a taller wodden podium.

"The Queen of Hearts, presiding!" the White Rabbit announced. The group saw a large woman dressed in regal attire carrying a small wand with a red heart on the tip. The Queen wore a collar that was white and very tall, reaching her ears. Her gown had white lining , with the rest of it being colored red and black. The left half of her dress had a short, black sleeve with a red cuff, a red abdomen, with everything below that being black. The right side was identical, but with inverted colors; a red sleeve, black cuff, black abdomen, and red lower half. She also wore a second dress or skirt with a similar split design, the left side being an alternating thick black line, thin yellow line pattern, while the right side was identical, but with inverted colors. The right side of the second skirt was actually a darker shade of yellow than the left, appearing more gold. The Queen of Hearts also had a round nose, gold earrings, and a small gold crown on her head. Her hair was black and tied into a tight bun on the back of her head with a red ribbon, though a few loose bangs dangled in front of her forehead.

"The girl is the culprit. There isn't a doubt in my mind. Do you know why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!" The queen said, shouting the last part. The girl stamped her foot and glared at the Queen.

"Hey! That's not fair! Just because you're the Queen, that doesn't mean that you can be so... so mean!" the girl replied. The Queen's face became red with rage.

"YOU DARE DEFY ME? SILENCE, OR IT'S OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" the Queen shouted right back. Link shook his head.

"We gotta do something." the teen said, hand slowly heading toward the Master Sword strapped across his back. Donald and Goofy shook their heads.

"We can't do that! Muddling's agains the rules!" Goofy said. Donald hit him with his staff again.

"That's "meddling!" he corrected. The two then shut up as the Queen continued.

"The Court finds the defendent... GUILTY AS CHARGED! FOR THE THEFT OF MY HEART!" the Queen shouted. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!" The Queen turned to the Card Soldiers standing to either side of her. "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? I SAID OFF WITH HER HEAD!" The Soldiers jumped at the order, walking over to the girl.

"Oh, please, not my head!" the girl said. Sora decided to run up.

"STOP! I know who the real culprit is!" he said. Link, Donald, and Goofy followed Sora. The Queen stared at the four.

"Oh, really? Well, then... if you can bring me proof of Alice's innocence, I'll let her go. Otherwise... IT'S OFF WITH ALL YOUR HEADS!" the Queen said. The Card Soldiers then grabbed Alice, and put her in a cage. The cage was raised up. Alice looked down at the four.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess." Alice said. "However, the Chesire Cat I met in the woods may have a clue." Alice said. One of the Card Soldiers tuned to Sora and the group.

"No speaking to the defendant!" he said. The group then walked out of the court, following a path they came across. They soon entered the woods, and started to look around.

"Where do you think this 'Cheshire Cat' is?" Link asked. He looked to his left and was met with a grinning feline face floating upside-down in midair. "Holy Goddesses!" Link shouted, falling backward and landing on his rear end. The cat laughed. Link shook his head after getting up. "It's not funny." he muttered. The cat's grin got wider as it's body appeared. The cat was pink and had purple stripes on it's body. His white teeth could be seen in the gloominess of the woods, as could his yellow eyes.

"Well, now, what are you doing in the Lotus Forest?" he asked. He then disappeared. "Perhaps looking for evidence of the Heartless?" his voice asked from behind the group. The four turned around and saw the cat sitting on a tree branch.

"Yeah, a-hyuck! Maybe you know where to find any?" Goofy asked. Link and Donald both facepalmed. However, the Cheshire Cat sat up before disappearing and reappearing in a higher branch to the left of the group.

"Well, maybe I do know where to find evidence... but maybe I don't." he replied. The cat then pulled a yellow box from nowhere. He tossed it down to the group. It bounced off of Donald's head into Sora's hands.

"Oww..." the duck muttered.

"The evidence you seek is in that box... or is it?" the Cheshire Cat told them. He disappeared, and reappeared to the right of the group. "To trust or not to trust. I trust you'll decide." he said before disappearing again. This time, the cat did not reappear. Sora stared at the box, and made to open it.

"I wonder what's in here..." he muttered.

"Careful with that." Link warned. Sora shook his head, then opened the box. A Soldier Heartless jumped out and rushed along the trial back to the Court.

"AFTER THAT HEARTLESS!" Link shouted. The group gave chase to the Heartless. After pursuing it, they saw the Soldier jump at the Queen. However, Sora took out the Heartless with a swing of his Keyblade.

"You see? That's your evidence! Alice is innocent, so let her go!" Sora shouted. However, the Queen's face became red with rage again.

"WHAT KIND OF TRICK IS THIS. SOLDIERS! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" The Queen shouted. The card soldiers all drew their weapons. Link unsheathed the Master Sword as Donald got his shield ready. Donald drew his staff and Sora rejoined them.

"Let's see... this is about a 40 vs. 4 fight..." Link muttered. "Oh, dear... I don't like their odds." he added. Donald stared at Link like he was insane. The Hero of Time ignored the duck, instead rushing at the Card Soldiers. The axes and spears wielded by the Card Soldiers were too bulky to touch the Hero of Time, whose initial sword blow sliced one of them in half. Donald raised his staff and pointed it at one of the Soldiers.

**Fire!**

The fireball hit the Card Soldier, exploding as the victim burned into ashes. Donald was covering for Sora, who had rushed for the switch to lower the gate, fighting through a few of the Card Soldiers in his way. Link was still blocking blow after blow with his Hylian Shield, and cutting the Card Soldiers to bits. At one point, he was surrounded by six of the Queen's soldiers. Link focused his magic to his hands, then aimed at the ground.

**Din's Firewall**

The spell given to him by the Great Fairy had the desired effect as a dome of fire surrounded the Kokiri. As Link dispersed the spell, the dome expanded, burning all the cards in it's path. Link then rushed over to help Donald, who was starting to have trouble defending Sora. Link made short work of the Card Soldiers harrassing the duo, then made his way over to cover Donald, who was unable to cast spells since he had to keep retreating. Link lept into the middle of the group, then focused his magic to his sword.

**Hero Skill: Super Spin!**

The magically-enhanced attack tore through the cards like a hot knife through butter. At that point, Sora had successfully lowered the cage. To his surprise, it was empty!

"She's gone! Alice is gone!" Sora said, shock in his voice. The other three quickly joined him.

"Maybe she was kindapped during the fight, a-hyuck?" Goofy asked. The Queen, however wasn't happy.

"WHERE IS ALICE! FIND ALICE! I DON'T CARE WHO DOES IT OR HOW, JUST FIND HER!" the Queen bellowed. The five remaining Card Soldiers from the fight were joined by fresh troops, who immediately marched out in search of Alice. Link turned to his companions.

"I think we'd better see if we can find Alice first... it might be safer for her health... and her head." the Hero said. The other three nodded in agreement and took off in search of Alice.


	20. Chapter 17

**A/N: More action today as our heroes continue their journey! I do not own KH or LoZ characters! Those belong to Square Enix and Nintendo, respectively. Now, more reviews to respond to!**

**sokairoxnam12341: Glad you're enjoying the story! Hope you keep following everyone's favorite Hero of Time and Keyblader!  
**

**Prometheus: Well, hope that this chapter satisfies you on your first point. I didn't know some parts of this were funny... though now that I look back, I can see where you're coming from. And actually (the real spelling), Navi _is_ that annoying, though she's useful for first-timers to OoT.  
**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Trickmaster's Side! Wonderland's Plight Resolved!**

After the battle with the Card Soldiers, the four made their way back to the Lotus forest. Sora sighed as he leaned against a tree.

"Where do you think Alice went?" he asked. Link shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno... but I think it would be in her best interest if we were to find her before those Card Soldiers... otherwise it's off with her head." Link said. Donald nodded in agreement.

"Knowing that crazy Queen, she'll find some way of blaming Alice for escaping the cage." Donald said. Sora sighed again.

"Still, I wonder where she disappeared off to..." he said.

"Well, now you're looking for Alice?" a familiar voice asked behind Sora, who jumped and fell flat on his face. The Cheshire Cat had materialized behind the teen. Link nodded.

"Yeah. Have you seen where she went?" he asked. The Cheshire Cat shook his head.

"Have I seen Alice? No, but I have seen the shadows..." the Cat cryptically replied. The group stared at him with puzzled expressions.

"Well, gawrsh! Where'd they go?" he asked. The Cheshire Cat grinned before pointing in opposite directions.

"This way? That way? Who knows? Then again, does it really matter? Left? Right? Up? Down? Forward? Backward? Just look for the shadows." The Cat continued, grin growing wider as the groups expressions grew more and more puzzled. "Just step deeper into the forest, and maybe you'll see... just beware what you may find in the upside-down room." The Cheshire Cat disappeared, his grin left hanging in midair momentarily. Then, the group was alone in the woods.

"Well, I guess we'd better follow his advice." Link said. The group nodded, and walked deeper into the woods. Along the way, they'd had to fight a few Heartless, but it was just the Shadows and Soldiers they'd seen before, so the Heartless didn't last long. Soon, the group found themselved in the room with the talking doorknob, but they were standing on the ceiling!

"Whoah! This place is weird!" Sora said. Then, the Cheshire Cat appeared.

"Okay, where's Alice?" Donald demanded angrily, jumping up and down. The Cheshire Cat grinned.

"I never said I knew where Alice was. I just told you how to look for the shadows. Though I don't think Alice will be your main concern for long..." the Cat said. The group then heard more noise behind them, and they saw more Heartless, including a type they'd never seen before. They had smooth, conical, red bodies with the same emblem emblazoned on its chest as the Soldiers did. The top of their bodies flared outward and formed a jagged "collar" below the spherical, pitch black head. They also wore conical, yellow hats that had jagged brims and thin, curled tips. Like many Heartless, the Red Nocturne had glowing yellow eyes. Their feet sported three small, thin toes. Sora recieved a prodding from his Keyblade, and informed the group of some things.

"Hey! The Keyblade is telling me that those are called 'Red Nocturnes'! They use and absorb Fire magic, but they're weak to Blizzard magic!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade. Link nodded, pulling out his Master Sword and Hylian Shield.

"So much for burning them to crisps." the Kokiri teen muttered. Donald, meanwhile, had a smug look on his face.

"Blizzard, eh?" he said. He then pointed his wand at the Heartless.

**Blizzaga!**

A small blue sphere shot out at the group of Heartless. As it hit one of them, it expanded into a humongous ball of ice, which froze some of the Heartless that were further way fromt he center of the attack. The rest of the group rushed in. Link became surrounded by Soldier Heartless, which circled him, looking at his chest where his heart was. The look in their eyes was almost one of hunger.

"Not today, freaks!" Link said, charging. One Soldier fell to his blade, and the others dispersed. They started to flank Link, who charged magic energy to his sword, and readying himself for a spin attack. As the group got within range, Link release his attack.

**Hero Skill: Super Spin!**

The Soldiers were decimated, and Link moved on to go help Donald, who was surrounded by Shadows and a few Red Nocturnes. Link cut through the group, causing the Shadows to melt into the ground and retreat.

"Thanks, pal!" Donald said, shooting a Blizzard spell at a lingering Red Nocturne. Link then saw the Keyblade headed toward him, and he ducked out of the way.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade struck the Soldier Heartless that had lept into the air, heading for Link's back. Link turned around and saw the body disappear, reminding himself to thank Sora for that later. After a short bit, the group had prevailed over the group of Heartless.

"Bravo! Bravo!" the Cheshire Cat complimented them. The group saw that the area had become brighter. The looked and saw that the lamps on the ceiling were now lit. The Cheshire Cat grinned at them. "Now that the light is on, you can come back to the normal room and see what the shadows tell you!" he said before disappearing.

"I don't trust him one bit!" Donald said as they left the room. Link nodded.

"Something does seem off about that cat..." the Kokiri muttered. The three made their way back to the Lotus Woods, then to the Queen's court area. They were relieved to see that the place was empty. As they continued to the room again, they saw the results of the Card Soldiers' search: many of them lay either ripped to shreds or burned. The group did have to deal with a fair number of Heartless on the way to the room, and noted that they had increased in numbers.

"Must be a leader nearby…" Link muttered, remembering what Leon had said. He quickly explained to Donald and Goofy what he meant.

"Ahyuck! So you mean we might have to fight another Guard Armor! Gawrsh!" Goofy said. Link shook his head.

"I don't think it'll be another Guard Armor, but it may be something big…" he said, trailing off as they approached the entrance to the room. As they stepped through, they saw the Cheshire Cat on the table.

"Well, where is Alice?" Sora asked the Cat, who grinned again.

"Well, just look at the shadows! Be careful, as they may go after that doorknob!" he said. The three then felt the ground rumble as something big dropped down onto the floor in front of them. The monster was bizarre. It had spindly legs that resembled scissor jacks, arms that appeared and sounded like they were made of paper, and a head that was made of several segments balanced on top of each other. Each of these segments sported its own face—though all of the faces had the same glowing yellow eyes and jagged mouths—and they alternated in color from red to black. Its arms were black and it often juggled clubs with zig-zagging, purple and lavender stripes on them. It wore black armor with large, red shoulder pads, a black codpiece, and had a very thin and small red body. The upper halves of its legs were red, while their lower halves were black. Its feet were black, flat, and curled at the tips. Much of its upper body and head sported gold highlights.

"WHAT IS THAT THING!?" Link asked, readying himself. Again, the mysterious voice echoed around them.

_**You next opponent is **_

**Fiery Magician, Trickmaster**

Before anyone else could react, Trickmaster swung its clubs at the group, who all managed to doge the blow… except Donald. The magician was sent flying, slamming painfully into the table. Link focused his magic.

**Farore's Wind!**

The Hero of Time appeared on Trickmaster's back, and immediately started to attack. The Master Sword struck again and again at the giant Heartless, causing it to roar in pain. Trickmaster then grabbed Link, and started to juggle him with the clubs. After a few seconds, he grabbed Link by the ankle and hefted him across the room. Link stuck the wall hard enough to leave an imprint on the wall before falling and hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Trickmaster, meanwhile, backflipped over Sora, who had launched an assault upon the wily Heartless. It then made its way to the fire underneath a pot of stew in the room, and its clubs were then ignited. Trickmaster still juggled them around, not once burning itself. Sora rushed again, but was struck by a club and sent flying across the room. He skidded to a halt right in front of the fire, merely inches away from being sent into the raging inferno. Only Goofy was now standing to fight the Heartless. He blocked a swing from its clubs. After a few more blows were blocked, Trickmaster crossed its clubs. One of the heads breathed at the crossed flaming bludgeons, and sent a large fireball at the Disney Court Knight. Donald had recovered by this point, and took care of Goofy, who was lit on fire from the attack.

**Blizzard!**

Goofy sighed in relief as the fire was extinguished.

"Gawrsh! Thanks, Donald!" Goofy said. He then saw Link and Sora struggling to stand. "Gawrsh! You okay, Sora? Link?" he asked. Link was now standing, but was unsteady on his feet.

"That walking freak show…" Link started out, walking unsteadily forward, "…is dead!" he finished, breaking into a run. Donald and Goofy managed to drag Sora out of the way as Trickmaster walked back over to the fire, relighting its batons. It turned around to see Link charging at it, wondering why its victims were still managing to fight back. It dodged Link's Jump Attack by backflipping, and then slammed its batons down. This caused a wall of flames to shot out. Link simply jumped over them, getting singed by the edges of the fire. Donald did some quick spell casting, using several Blizzard spells to create gap in the flames. Link then lept at Trickmaster, striking it on its face. The Heartless was knocked back, and Link stayed on its chest, hitting it in the face multiple times. The Heartless recovered after a few seconds, and juggled Link again. Again, Link was sent flying into a wall, creating another imprint on the wall. Link fell again, moaning in pain. Sora struggled up to see Link hit the wall a second time.

"Gotta… help him…" Sora managed to mutter, forcing himself to stand upright.

"Not so fast!" Donald said. He focused his magic and pointed his staff at Sora.

**Curaga!**

Sora felt instantly better.

"Thanks!" Sora said. He rushed at Trickmaster, dodging blows from the clubs. He lept up, smashing the Heartless in the face with his Keyblade. Tricksmaster swatted Sora away, who managed to land on his feet. The Keyblader rushed at Trickmaster again, this time striking its chest. Donald and Goofy, meanwhile, had run over to Link's position.

"Gawrsh… do ya think he's all right?" Goofy asked Donald, who nodded.

"He's still breathing, see?" Donald said. His magic still needed to recharge before he could cast another Curaga and get Link into the action. Sora was still hanging in there, though he had suffered another blow from Trickmaster. Goofy readied his shield and rushed into the battle, smacking the Heartless's leg with his shield. Trickmaster tried to grab Goofy, but a well-placed Blizzard shot from Donald stopped that idea.

"Finally!" Donald said, focusing his magic again.

**Curaga!**

Link moaned, and then stood up slowly. He saw Sora and Goofy still fighting Trickmaster, then he rushed in himself. Link pulled out a bomb, and had an idea.

"HEY, SORA! BATTER UP!" Link shouted, throwing the bomb toward the Keybearer. Sora saw the trick, and hit the bomb up to Trickmaster's face. The explosive blew up, knocking it back. Sora then lept up, and performed a Jump Attack like he'd seen Link do a couple of times.

"You want a piece of me? Here you go!" he shouted as the teeth of the Keyblade struck Trickmaster on the chest. Immediately, its body was enveloped in light. It then shattered, releasing a heart in the process. The four managed to whoop in celebration, high-fiving each other.

"Bravo! Bravo, indeed!" The four turned to see the Cheshire Cat looking down at them from the table. "You are quite powerful!" he said. Sora brought his Keyblade up, pointing it at the grinning resident of Wonderland.

"YOU TRICKED US!" Sora shouted. The Cheshire Cat grinned.

"Tricked you? Nothing of the sort. The Cheshire Cat is always ready to help those in need. If you seek Alice, I'm afraid she's not here. She's gone, gone to the dark world of the Heartless!" the Cheshire Cat replied, grinning again.

"So, you _did_ know where she was all along, didn't you?" Link asked. The Cheshire Cat's grin got wider, which infuriated Link.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers, though he doesn't always tell. The answer always lies in the Darkness. In many of the worlds, everything is all mixed up thanks to the shadows. They'll be after something important too." the cat said before disappearing. The four heard another voice.

"What's with all this racket? Can't a doorknob get any sleep around here?" the talking doorknob asked with a yawn. Sora then saw what looked like a keyhole behind the doorknob's keyhole.

"Is that… a keyhole?" he asked. The Keyblade, which had been pointing at the door, then shot out a beam of light into the keyhole behind the doorknob's keyhole. The four heard a _click!_ A square object dropped from the doorknob. Link picked it up, examining it. It was elastic and rubber-like in texture, and was clear. Link handed it over to Donald when the duck wanted to see it.

"Please keep it down so I can get my rest." the doorknob said. The group was gathered around Donald, who was examining the object that Link had picked up. Goofy recognized it right away.

"Hey, Donald! That's a Gummi Block!" he said. Donald nodded.

"Yeah, but it isn't like any of the other Gummi Blocks I've seen…" Donald replied. Link asked the question on his and Sora's minds.

"What's a Gummi Block?" the Kokiri teen asked, scratching his head beneath the hat.

"They're used as parts for our Gummi Ship." Donald replied. Link nodded.

"Maybe someone at Traverse Town knows about it?" Link asked. Donald nodded.

"You're right. Let's go!" The group then boarded the Gummi Ship, and headed back to Traverse Town with many questions for the inhabitants that had helped them out.


	21. Chapter 18

**A/N: New chapter for LoHH, after my muse abandoned me :( Also, review responses!**

**kingdommast: Thanks for catching my mispelling error! I've got it fixed!**

**Prometheus: Wow! That's a lot to respond to O.o Here we go: Firstly, go right ahead and advertise this story if you want. Secondly, I know Clayton technically isn't evil in the games, but I'm calling Author's authority to change him since this is a fanfic. Third, go right ahead. I may check it out myself. Fourth, it always feels good to beat a game for the first time. Unfortunately for you, I've recently replayed OoT and Master Quest, so I'm caught up. Besides, there's also the wiki. Fourth, you don't know what the fourth wall is!? Just look it up on Google.**

**As usual, I do not own the characters used in the story. LoZ is Nintendo's, and KH is Square Enix's. I only own the storyline.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 18: Sora's Purpose! Seal the Keyholes!**

The group arrived safely in Traverse Town... well, relatively. The group crawled out of the Gummi Ship, which was pitch black. They themselved looked like they'd seen better days. All had some sort of burn or other, and Sora's hair looked like an afro.

"I can't believe you wrecked the ship..." Link muttered, trying to stifle a laugh. Donald, on the other hand, didn't find it so funny. The duck was jumping up and down, steam practically pouring out of his ears.

"That's why I don't let anyone fly the ship! You could've gotten us all killed!" the duck yelled. The group then ran into Yuffie. The ninja turned around and saw the four.

"Omigosh! What happened?" she asked. Link pointed at Sora.

"Well, Sora here made a mistake on the scale of a Goron trying to swim." Link said. Yuffie stared at Link with a confused look. Link then realized that he'd used a Hyrulean metaphor. "Basically, Sora wanted to fly the ship and crashed it into a meteor..." Link told her. Yuffie nodded, still slightly confused.

"I... see..." she replied. Link shook his head.

"Nevermind that. We need to talk to Leon. Any clue where he is?" Link asked. Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah. He's in the sewers training. You can get there from the Second District." Yuffie told them. Link nodded, and the four headed toward the Second District. Yuffie stared at the retreating figures, hoping that this was a temporary lapse into insanity.

* * *

After fighting a few Heartless, the group found themselves at the entrance to the sewers. After following the sounds of fighting, they see Leon training with his gunblade. Leon heard them and turned around.

"What's up?" he asked. Sora and the others walked over and sat down on some of the rocks. Leon sat with them, leaning the gunblade against a wall.

"Well, we went to another world. There, we had to fight another Heartless. However, after we beat it, the Keyblade... it locked something... there was a _click_... It looked like a keyhole..." Sora said. Leon nodded.

"So, you found the Keyhole of the world, eh?" he asked. Sora stared at him.

"What? Keyhole?" he asked. Leon nodded.

"Yeah. Every world has a Keyhole. Even those from different dimensions. The Keyholes lead ot the hearts of the worlds." Leon explained.

"Yes, and the Keyholes need to be sealed, according to the report." Aerith's voice came. The group turned and saw here carrying a tray of drinks. She handed a drink to the group and Leon, leaving one for herself.

"What report?" Link asked, taking a sip of the lemonade. It tasted good, and he took another drink.

"Well, the leader of our world was a man named Ansem. He was a wise philosopher, and he studied the Heartless." Aerith replied.

"Yeah, and one thing he mentioned was the Keyholes. This town must have a Keyhole too..." Leon added on. That reminded Sora of something.

"Hey, Leon! When we sealed the Keyhole, this Gummi came out. It's not like any normal Gummi, so we thought you might know what it's for." Sora said. Leon looked at it, then shook his head.

"You're better off asking Cid something like that." Leon told them. The four nodded and finished off their lemonade. "Hey, Link!" Leon called out as they group was leaving. The Kokiri turned around. "You and me, sometime. One on one. Sound good?" he asked. Link nodded, and the group left.

* * *

They made their way to Cid's accessory shop in the first district, encountering a little more Heartless than on their trip to the sewers. At the shop, they saw Cid dealing with a customer. After the customer left, Cid saw the four.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" he asked. He pulled some chairs from behind the counter, and the group sat down.

"Well, we came to see if you knew about this Gummi we found." Donald told him, handing him the Gummi. Cid looked at it, then looked at the four with a look that asked if they were being serious.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. The group shook their heads. "You guys're flying a Gummi Ship and you don't even know about Navigation Gummis!? Bunch of pinheads... Interspace ain't no playground..." he muttered. Link spoke up.

"It's not our fault. There's still quite a bit we don't know about this whole situation. How else do you expect us to travel around?" Link asked. Cid nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I shoulda thought of that. No hard feelings, okay? I'll help ya guys." Cid replied. Link nodded.

"Thank you." he said. Cid then held up the Gummi.

"Basically, Navigation Gummis help you get to new places. It's sorta like an extension on your map. Now, you want it on your ship?" Cid replied, jerking his thumb toward where their Gummi Ship was parked. Donald nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll install it for ya. While you're waiting, you guys can do me a favor." Cid said, getting up and going behind the counter.

"What kinda favor, a-hyuck?" Goofy asked. Cid held up a book.

"Could you guys deliver this book to the old house past the Third District. Ya can't miss it." Link nodded, accepting the book and putting it in his pouch. When Cid saw the size of it, he had to ask a question. "Hey, Link?" Link looked up.

"Yeah, Cid?" Link replied.

"I was told by Leon that you pulled a bomb outta there." Cid started. Link merely nodded. "Well, how much space do you got in that pouch of yours?" he asked. Link shook his head.

"Never really tested it... I've always had room for things." Link replied. The group then left. Cid watched them go, scratching his head.

"Well, I guess you can't make up the crazy stuff..." he muttered.

* * *

In the Third District, the Heartless had grown to numbers worse than even when they had fought Guard Armor.

"Anyone finding this increase in Heartless a little irritating?" Donald asked, destroying a Soldier. Sora nodded.

"Yeah... almost like there's another leader..." he muttered, sending a few Shadow Heartless scurrying. Link shook his head.

"Almost like Guard Armor was... a distraction? I hope not..." he muttered, rushing at the last few Heartless in their way. The group then saw an old cottage.

"This must be it..." Sora muttered. The four tried the door, and found it unlocked. As they stepped in, Sora swore he heard a voice.

"Hey! Doesn't this remind you of our secret spot?" Sora turned and saw... Kairi?

"Is that you, Kairi?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. However, the image was gone. The four then heard someone coughing, and saw an old man wearing a blue robe apporach them. He had a long white beard, and wore a blue pointed hat.

"Aah! You've arrived earlier than I expected! Welcome!" he said. The four stared at him.

"Uh... who're you?" Link asked. The man chuckled.

"I am sorry, Hero. I am Merlin. I'm a magician." he said. Link stared at him.

"We have something for you..." Link said, pulling the book out and tossing it at him. The book merely floated into a bag beside Merlin.

"Are... you a Heartless?" Sora asked. Donald shook his head.

"Doesn't look like one..." he muttered. Merlin nodded.

"Quite right. Rather, your King asked me to help you." Merlin said. Goofy and Donald perked up at that.

"Gawrsh! Do ya know where he is?" Donald asked. Merlin shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, but he asked me to help you all on your quest... especially you, Sora." Merlin said, pointing at the Keyblade wielder.

"Me?" Sora asked. Merlin nodded.

"You've been using the Keyblade's power instinctively. I'm here to help teach you otherwise... now, are you ready to learn some magic?" he asked. Sora nodded. Merlin taught Sora how to utilize magic, and how to focus it through the Keyblade. He then taught Sora the spells of Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Cure, Gravity, Stop, and Aero. After Sora had mastered the spells, Merlin turned to Link. "I have some things for you too, Hero of Time." Merlin told him. Link nodded.

"Like what?" he asked. Merlin reached into a bag, and pulled out five objects. He first handed Link two spheres, one glowing red and the other a light blue.

"These are to be used with a certain projectile that you'll find back in Hyrule." Merlin said. Link nodded, putting the spheres in a bag. Merlin then dug into his bag, and pulled out three medal discs. "May I see your Master Sword?" he asked. Link nodded, withdrawing the blade and handing it to the magician. Merlin held the discs to the Master Sword, which absorbed the discs. "There! Now, you can utilize those three Magic Medallions." Merlin said. "The Bombos Medallion will create a ring of fire followed by a series of small explosions. The Ether Medallion will cause an atmospheric disruption to freeze your enemies. And the Quake Medallion will cause an earthquake." Merlin told him. Link nodded, taking the Master Sword back and re-sheathing it. The group then left. As they were walking along, they saw Yuffie running up to them.

"Hey! Are you done with that errand for Cid?" she asked. The four nodded. "Great! Follow me, then!" she shouted, taking off. The four followed her to an empty house in the Third District. When they entered, they saw Aerith, Cid, and Leon had already gathered. Yuffie strode into the room. "Yuffie has arrived!" she said. The others followed quietly.

"Hey, you guys. Did you hear that Maleficent's in town?" Aerith asked. Leon looked down. Yuffie's look of happiness changed to a distant look devoid of emotion. Cid was muttering something under his breath.

"Male-who?" Sora asked. Yuffie turned around, tears gathering in her eyes.

"She's a witch, man! A witch! She's in control of the Heartless! She attacked our home years ago and destroyed it." Yuffie told him, holding back the tears. Cid stepped forward.

"One day, the Heartless just showed up. Luckily, I managed to get outta here with these three." Cid informed them.

"She's the reason that the Heartless are everywhere." Leon added. "She's been using them for years. She must've discovered them after Ansem did."

Link turned to Leon. "You keep mentioning this 'Ansem'. Who was he, exaclty?" Link asked.

"Like I told you guys before, Ansem was the leader of our world. He studied the Heartless, and knew many things about them. He wrote up a report on them. If we can find it, it may tell us how to get rid of the Heartless." Leon explained. "If we don't, they'll destroy the worlds."

"How?" Link asked.

"Well, the Heartless enter the heart of the world via the Keyhole. After that... it's gone." Leon replied. "That's why the Keyblade is so important. If the Keyholes are sealed, then the Heartless can't destroy the world."

"Where is the report?" Sora asked. Leon shrugged his shoulders.

"It's scattered all around. Maleficent probably has most of them." Leon muttered. The meeting broke up shortly after a bell rang. Cid caught up to the group.

"Hey, guys! I hear you delivered that book. Thanks! I got that Navigation Gummi put on your ship. If you find anymore, bring 'em to me and I'll install 'em!" Cid said. The bell rang again.

"That's getting kinda annoying..." Sora said. Cid nodded.

"Legend says that we're supposed ot have a monster-sized Heartless on our hands if that bell in the Second District is rung three times." Cid said. "You four oughta check it out." With that, Cid headed off toward the First District. The group made their way the the Second District. There, they saw a clock tower. They climbed up, fighting Heartless along the way. At the top, Sora struck the bell three times with his Keyblade. The group looked down, and saw a Keyhole emerge from a painting behind the fountain.

"Hey! It's a Keyhole!" Link said. The group quickly climbed down the stairway and to the fountain. However, Link stopped them. "Something's... off." he muttered. An armored foot fell down, followed by another. Soon, the group was facing another Guard Armor. However, before they could attack, it re-arranged itself. Its hands and feet switched places, the body turned upside down, and the helmet on the head opened up.

_**Beware, for your newest enemy is an upgraded version of the Guard Armor. Meet**_

**Possessed Armor, Opposite Armor**

The group went to work. Link pulled out a bomb, warping onto the Opposite Armor's back. However, he was kicked off by a foot, and the bomb blew up before Link could get it positioned. Link was sent flying, hitting the water of the fountain hard. Sora rushed in, but was deterred by the spinning hands of the giant Heartless. The Opposite Armor floated away from the group. Link warped again, except he warped to a point where he could throw his bomb at it. The resulting explosion managed to destroy a hand. However, Link was struck in midair by the Heartless, and hit the ground hard. Sora aimed his Keyblade at Opposite Armor.

**Fire!**

A fireball flew at Opposite Armor's head, exploding on contact. The Heartless reared back, and Link, who was wobbly, took the opportunity. He thrust the Master Sword into the air.

"LET'S TRY THIS OUT!" he shouted, stabbing the ground with the Master Sword.

**Quake Medallion!**

The ground rumbled, and Opposite Armor lost its balance, falling down. The group rushed in. Link made it first, and held the Master Sword up.

**Bombos Medallion!**

Multiple pillars of fire shout out in a ring, followed by several explosions. When it was all said and done, there was nothing left of Opposite Armor other than a floating heart. Sora then sealed the Keyhole. The group made their way to the Gummi Ship, and their next destination.


	22. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well, I have a good reason why this chapter wasn't up. I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off getting paperwork ready for my enlistment with the U.S. Army. I'll try to get another chapter up tomorrow, then I'll be without internet for two days after that. I'll spend that time writing, and hopefully I'll have a few chapters for you guys when I get back. Now, on to Review Responses!**

**Prometheus: Again, I'll handle all of yours in one round. First of all, I did not misspell "mouse". Look up Muse on Wikipedia, and you'll see what I mean. As for the advertising thing, I'll wait for the permission, though I'll be checking the story out. Yes, I did enjoy OOT's ending. Very satisfying indeed. As for the cutscenes idea, I have my own for when he uses them. Just imagine your own when Link uses a Medallion. Nice try, but Ganondorf is under my control. If that's you, then you're gonna end up losing anyway, Ganondork!**

**Patrick: Thanks! You're the second person that's said that to me! I appreciate it! I can't promise how soon I'll be able to update, but I do try and get these out ASAP. Thirdly, I am using the graphic novel and the game as a guide. I also got the part where Cid decimates the Heartless in Ch. 15 from the graphic novel as well. You can see all that on my profile, where I have notes and comments on each chapter. Clayton is the hunter from Deep Jungle. He wants to hunt the gorillas. **

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 19: Olympus Coliseum Debut! The Swordsman, Cloud!**

On the way to the Gummi Ship, a stray Soldier Heartless latched itself onto Sora's back.

"Aaack! Shoot! Darn Heartless!" Sora said, trying to keep the creature away from his heart. As the others were getting ready to help him, the Heartless was destroyed. Sora sighed in relief. "Thanks, guys." he said. Link shook his head.

"That wasn't us..." Link said.

"Well, who was it, then?" Sora asked.

"Getting a little careless, aren't you? Sora?" a voice replied. The group turned around to see Riku standing behind them. He had a black blade that looked like a bat's wing.

"RIKU!? IS IT REALLY YOU!?" Sora shouted, rushing over to Riku and tugging on his face.

"Oww! Yes, it's me, Sora!' Riku said, pushing Sora away. That was when he saw Donald, Goofy, and Link. "Who're those guys?" Riku asked. Sora turned to them, and then back to Riku.

"Thos're my friends! Meet Donald, Goofy, and Link!" Sora said, pointing to each one. Sora then turned back to Riku. "So, have you seen Kairi yet?" he asked. Riku shook his head. "Oh..." Sora muttered, his face becoming downtrodden.

"Don't worry, though. I'm sure she's still searching for us!" Riku said. Sora cheered up at that. "Just leave finding Kairi to me!" Riku said. A Shadow Heartless was sneaking up on Riku, and Sora lept at it with his Keyblade, destroying the Heartless..

"Leave it to who, now? Look, I've been to all sorts of places, and I've experienced a lot with my friends!" Sora said.

"Sora, what did you do?" Riku asked. Link stepped forward.

"Sora's chosen by the Keyblade!" the Kokiri said.

"Hmph... So, this is a 'Keyblade', eh?" Riku asked, having summoned it into his hand. He then tossed it to Sora. "Here, you can have your toy back." Riku said. He then turned to the other three. "Why are you hanging with them? We're finally free, Sora. We can go wherever we want!"

"You're right! Hey, I know! Why don't you join us? We have this awesome ship!" Sora said. Donald, however, wasn't going to have any of it.

"No! He can't join us!" Donald said, hopping up and down with agitation. Sora turned back to Donald, his face angry.

"Why not? Riku's my friend too!" Sora said, turning back to Riku. "Right, Riku?" However, the silver-haired boy was nowhere to be found. "Riku...? Where are you?" After looking for Riku a bit longer, the group boared the Gummi Ship and took off to their newest destination.

Meanwhile, Maleficent was observing from one of the rooftops with Riku.

**"You see, that boy is nothing but trouble. While you toiled hard looking for him, he simply replaced you with new friends. Now, think of him no more. I'll see to it that you find Kairi." **Riku nodded, and the two disappeared into darkness.

* * *

Unknown Location

The group of villains were watching a replay of Sora's adventures in Wonderland. When they heard what the Cheshire Cat had told them, it caused an uproar.

"Darn cat! He knows too much!" Clayton said. Hades stared at the now-paused image of the cat.

"I knew we should've turned him into a Heartless when we had the chance." the god muttered, to the agreement of the rest of the group. They resumed the animation, watching Sora and the group defeating Trickmaster and sealing the Keyhole.

"That brat's getting to be real trouble, though. He found a Keyhole and sealed it off. I'll stake me other hand that he knows about the Keyholes now, even if he didn't then." Capt. Hook added, shining his hook.

**"Enough. Even if he found one Keyhole, it'll take him ages to find the others. And the pieces are steadily falling into our hands." **Maleficent said. The other villains nodded. Maleficent turned to Hades. **"You'd better get ready to move. The Keyblader is heading to your world next. I want that Keyblade, and I want that other sword too." **Hades merely nodded, and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

* * *

Olympus Coliseum

The group arrived at Olympus Coliseum, marveling at the beauty of the place. They walked into the building immediately in front of them. There, they saw a man with the legs of a goat, and the upper body of an obese man. He was writing things on a chalkboard on the wall. Sora got a nudge from the Keyblade, telling him that the creature was a satyr. Sora stepped forward.

"Ummm, excuse me..." he said. The person didn't turn around.

"Glad you're here. Could you do me a favor and move that pedestal over there?" he asked, pointing to a pedestal against the wall.

"You want me to move that?" Sora asked. "Okay..." Sora walked over to it, and started to push against it. It didn't budge an inch. After exerting effort, Sora still couldn't move it. He turned to the goat-man. "It's too heavy!" Sora said. The goat-man turned around.

"Too heavy? Since when is something too heavy for the great Hercules!?" he asked, but his face dropped upon seeing the four. "Oh, wrong guy. Name's Philoctetes. Call me Phil. What can I do for ya?" he asked. "If you're here for the Games, you can forget it." Link stepped forward.

"Games? What Games?" he asked. Phil shook his head.

"The Olympian Games! It's a heroes-only fighting tournament." he said.

"Can we join?" Link asked, wanting to test his skill. Phil shook his head.

"Pipsqueaks like you, in the Games?" he asked, bursting into laughter. "You four wouldn't last five minutes. Besides, didn't you hear me? HEROES ONLY!" Phil said. The four walked out, muttering under their breaths.

"Man, who does that old goat think he is?" Sora asked.

"Yeah! You've got two heroes in front of you! One chosen by the Keyblade, and the other by the Master Sword!" Donald added.

"A-hyuck! You tell 'em, Donald!" Goofy added.

"Whoa, whoa... did I hear right? You four wanna enter the Games?" a smooth voice asked. The four turned around and saw a humanoid figure. He wore a black toga pinned with a skull-shaped pin. His skin was a blue tint, and his most distinctive feature were the blue flames on his head.

"Who are you?" Link asked, tensing and getting ready to draw the Master Sword.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, sparkplug! If you wanna enter the Games, I got your ticket right here!" the being, Hades, said. He then procurred four slips of paper. "These are exclusive passes, available to those that are competing in the Games." Hades said, moving closer. He aproached Sora, looking him right in the face. Sora's look was one of fear. "Yep. You have the look of a true hero. Here, these are yours." Hades said, handing the passes to Sora. He then made his way to the shadows. The four turned and re-entered the building. As they did, they were watched by Hades and another figure.

"So, they're in as well?" the second person asked.

"Yep. Just make sure you take care of Keyboy and Greenie, okay?" he asked. The second person shook his head.

"My contract says-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOUR CONTRACT SAYS, CLOUD! I'M THE ONE THAT WROTE IT, REMEMBER?" Hades shouted, his hair turning red.

"Hades, the great God of the Underworld, is worked up over a couple of kids?" Cloud asked. He shook his head. "Whatever. Better hope you know what you're doing." Cloud added, walking away. Hades smirked.

"Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..." the God muttered.

* * *

"WHAT? HOW DID YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON PASSES!?" Phil shouted, staring at the passes to check for authenticity.

"With these, we can compete right?" Link asked. Phil nodded.

"Well, they're authentic... guess I don't have a choice. Alright, you pipsqueaks can compete." Phil said.

"Thanks!" Link said. Phil shook his head.

"I do want to warn you. There are a lot of wierdos entered the tournament." Phil added. The group nodded.

As they fought through the Games, the group realized that the "wierdos" Phil had mentioned were Heartless.

"What are Heartless doing in the tournament?" Link asked, whispering. Donald shook his head.

"I dunno, but it seems suspicious. I guess that Cheshire Cat was right." the duck said. Phil came over to the group.

"Hey! What are you guys whispering about?" he asked. He then shrugged and continued before anyone could reply. "Well, you guys ain't doing to bad. Your next opponent is some guy named 'Cloud'. Just give 'im the old one-two." Phil said, pushing them toward the arena. As they stepped forward, Donald and Goofy were hit and sent flying. Sora and Link then found themselves on their backs. They were pinned by the largest sword they'd ever seen. The man wielding it stared at them.

"I still don't get what Hades sees in a couple of kids like you... in fact, why do I even bother?" Cloud asked, unpinning the boys with his sword. He started to walk away, but was hit by a large force. His sword was sent flying. Sora and Link stared.

"Hey, Link?" Sora said, getting up, his voice trembling.

"Yeah?"

"I think we've got trouble..." Sora trailed off. Link nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda figured." he replied, pulling out the Master Sword and Hylian Shield as Sora summoned the Keyblade. Phil looked and saw what it was.

Phil turned and saw Hercules carrying Cloud away from the fight. "Nice to see ya, Herc!" Phil said as Hercules set Cloud down.

"Do you think they can beat it?" Hercules asked. Phil shook his head.

"I dunno..." Phil looked over at the duo, who were charging at the beast. "HEY, KIDS! TWO WORDS OF ADVICE: ATTACK!" he shouted.

* * *

**A/N: Tell me how I did on the cliffhanger! If you've played KH, then you know what's coming! Otherwise, hold onto your hats! It's going to be a bumpy ride!**


	23. Chapter 20

**A/N: Well, the next two days will be without updates. Firstly, since I'll be going through the final steps of getting enlisted. Secondly, because I just had a break up with my faincee. We'd been together almost three years, and that kinda killed my Muse. Well, enough about that, on to review responses!**

**Prometheus: I know it was a joke. I still said it, though! As for the Pewdiepie thing, I don't really watch him. I might start though. No, Maleficent would _not_ be able to even touch the Master Sword. None of the Disney villains would. Actually, it's not just wield-able by Link. The reason none of them would be able to touch is that, as the Blade of Evil's Bane, one with an evil heart could not touch it. That's also why the Master Sword works on the Heartless... well in my story, at any rate. Yeah, Phil's always good for some good ol' comedic relief, and it gets used again in this chapter as well. Honestly, I don't mind the long reviews. It shows that you read these chapters (a good thing), and also lets me know that at least one person is still reading this. That alone keeps me writing these stories, and it's always nice to hear from you! Well, now that the word count for this chapter has been kicked up by about a hundred or so, let's get the show started, shall we? Link, would you do the honors?**

**Link: Sure. GamesMaster64 owns not the Legend of Zelda, or Kingdom Hearts... thank Nayru...**

**Me: What was that?**

**Link: Nothing! Wait, do I hear Zelda calling? *leaves***

**Me: Wait, get back here! *chases Link***

* * *

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 20: Olympus Coliseum Debut! Cerberus, Hades' Pawn!**

"HEY, KIDS! TWO WORDS OF ADVICE: ATTACK!" Phil shouted at the two.

"How is that two words?" Sora asked. Link shook his head. The two were charging toward a massive, three-headed dog with black fur and short, cropped ears. Its heads were identical to each other, each sporting the same enormous mouths, pink tongues, and long, sharp teeth. All three heads also had glowing red eyes. The legs are rather short, and each ended in a paw with three grey claws. He also had a thin tail and seemed to be quite muscular. Donald and Goofy were still out, so there wasn't much help there. Meanwhile, Hades was watching from a distance.

"Oh, Goat Boy forgot Rule 11: Accidents happen." he said. He saw Link and Sora rushing at them. "Hmmm... Cerberus should be able to get me those two weapons. After that, it's goodbye Zeus, hello Hades!" Hades continued to watch as his watchdog worked his magic. As the two boys rushed in, they again heard the mysterious voice.

_**Beware of your newest enemy, for you face none other than**_

**Underworld Guardian, Cerberus**

"Sora! Batter up!" Link said, pulling out a bomb and tossing it toward him. Sora hit it, and it blew up in front of the middle head's face. Link lept up, and struck out with a Jump Attack. Cerberus reared back, and it's left head knocked Link back. It then stomped down, knocking Sora back with a shockwave. Link and Sora regrouped.

"How big do you think he is?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"Probably about the size of King Dodongo." Link replied, before focusing on his magic.

**Din's Fire!**

A fireball shot out, striking Cerberus' left head. The beast reared back in pain, sending another shockwave at the two. Both jumped over it, but only barely. Link then focused on his magic again.

**Farore's Wind!**

He reappeared on Cerberus' back, and started to hack at the middle head. The right head grabbed Link, and threw him up in the air. The head then looked up, holding its mouth open. Link realized that it was going to try and eat him. He countered by tossing a bomb down, then using Farore's Wind to warp away. Cerberus swallowed the bomb, and got a nasty surprise as it blew up. Angry, Cerberus charged at the two, bowling them over completely. It grabbed Sora in its left mouth, and Link in its right. It threw the two at the wall, and they hit with a sickening _thud_. Cerberus then reared back, and sent a third shockwave. The two were struck by it, and sent deeper into the wall. The two boys managed to struggle back up, and faced the beast.

"I'm tired of being tossed around like a rag doll..." Link muttered, a look of fierce determination in his eyes. He then held the Master Sword up.

**Ether Medallion!**

There was a freezing wind emitted from the Master Sword. Cerberus cowered, shivering due to trying to keep warm. Sora approached, and struck the giant dog with his Keyblade. Link followed with a Jump Attack, but was knocked out of the air by Cerberus' paw. The giant dog had recovered. It sent another shockwave out, knocking Sora back. As it headed toward Link, the Kokiri focused on the last of his magic.

**Nayru's Love!**

A blue shield surrounded Link, stopping him from being harmed. After a few seconds, the shield flickered and died. Link struggled up to see Sora pointing the Keyblade at Cerberus.

**Fire!**

A small fireball shot out, exploding as it hit Cerberus' left head. This time, Cerberus lunged forward, intent on biting Sora. However, Link interfered by rushing in and thrusting the Master Sword into the dog's face. Cerberus reared back, and Link pulled out his boomerang. He threw it at the giant dog, and was pleased to see the stunning property of the boomerang still worked. He put it away as Sora prepared another spell.

**Thunder!**

A single bolt of electricity fell from the sky, striking Cerberus. The three headed dog recovered, and prepared it's surprise attack. It breathed a stream of dark fire out at the two. Sora reacted out of instinct.

**Aero!**

A gust of wind surrounded Link and Sora, which sucked the flames in. The attack was then sent back toward Cerberus, who merely shrugged the attack aside. However, Link used the distraction provided by the flames to throw another bomb at Cerberus. The bomb exploded, causing Cerberus to stagger back in pain. By now, the dog was starting to struggle itself. Hades sighed.

"Hopefully Cerberus will finish them soon. Maleficent wants those weapons. I intend to deliver them. How else am I going to overthrow Zeus?" the god muttered. Cerberus rushed at the two, sending them scurrying away. It breathed more dark flames out. Link jumped to the side of the flames, then rushed in. Cerberus' right head turned toward Link, lunging forward to bite him. Sora, meanwhile, rushed to the left side, and the head there did the same thing. Link backflipped to keep from getting bit, while Sora stopped and threw the Keyblade at the middle head.

**Strike Raid!**

The attack hit the dog on the nose, but it was now merely agitated. It rushed at Sora, and Link took the opportunity to leap in it's back. He jumped up, stabbing the base of Cerberus' left head with the Master Sword. Cerberus reared back in pain, dislodging Link, who landed on his back hard. As Link fought to keep from blacking out from the pain, he saw Sora dodging more flames. Link got up, and pulled his boomerang out again. He flung it, but missed. The projectile circled around Cerberus before coming back toward Link. Link caught the boomerang and put it away. Link looked up to see Cerberus chasing after Link, its toungues hanging out and its tail wagging.

"Great... now this overgrown pup wants to play fetch..." Link muttered, rolling underneath the dog, somehow avoiding getting crushed. He turned around and saw Sora focusing magic before throwing the Keyblade.

**Thunder Raid!**

The Keyblade struck Cerberus, and another bolt of electricity struck the dog. Link stared at Sora as the Keyblade reappared in his hands.

"Nice one!" Link said. Sora grinned as Link rushed in. "My turn!" he said, He lept up, stabbing the ground with the Master Sword as Cerberus recovered.

**Quake Medallion!**

As Cerberus fell over, Link pulled the Master Sword from the ground, and thrust it in the air.

**Bombos Medallion!**

Pillars of fire shot out from the ground, followed by explosions. As the attack cleared, they saw Cerberus disappear in a puff of smoke. Link and Sora looked at eachother.

"We did it..." Link said. Sora nodded. They heard moans, and saw Goofy and Donald coming around.

"What happened, a-hyuck?" Goofy asked, getting up.

"You two were knocked out by Cloud. Then, Link and I had to fight Cerberus." Sora replied. Hercules and Phil came up to the group.

"That was amazing!" Hercules said to the two.

"Yeah! I'll say! You two are now 'Junior Heroes', in commemoration of the event." Phil told them. Hercules turned to Sora.

"Hey, Sora! I got a couple of moves I want to show you!" he said. He then showed Sora how to perform two new attacks. The first was Sliding Dash; with it, Sora could slide on the Keyblade toward his enemies. The second move was Ars Arcanum; Sora would strike an enemy lightly and rapidly seven times, then six more times at a slower but stronger pace.

"Oh, I wouldn't be celebrating just yet." a voice said, as the arena was surrounded by blue flames. Link and Sora were separated from the others. "In fact, this is just the beginning!"

"SORA! LINK!" Hercules shouted.

"TWO WORDS: BEWARE THE ANGRY GOD!" Phil said. The two heroes turned around and saw Hades approaching them, his look one of smug confidence. The two heroes drew their weapons, much to Hades delight.

"Challenge accepted I take it?" he asked, getting into a ready stance.


	24. Chapter 21

**A/N: Well, my Muse is back! Here's the final chapter for Olympus Coliseum! Hope the fight was worth the wait! Now, review responses, and there are a lot of 'em!**

**kingdommast: Thanks for pointing out the typo. I do try and catch them before I post the chapters, but occasionally one will get through. Glad you're enjoying it, despite the manga portions throwing you off! Well, you're wait is over for now!**

**Prometheus: No! No Goron hugs! *Opens portal that puts the Gorons back on Death Mountain.* Also, there's no Biggoron in the story... Sorry, Biggoron fans! **

**Patrick: Firstly, I'm assuming that the review under "Pqtrick" is you, so I'll be doing that with the review under "Patrick". If not, I apologize! Yeah, Cid incinerating the Heartless was epic. Thanks for the support, but I've gotten over it now. Firstly, no problem on telling you who Clayton is. Secondly, LoHH pt. 2 is already partially up (three chapters are available right now). Unfortunately, I am _not _going to be using Majora's Mask for any parts of LoHH. Chain of Memories will also be used later, though I've only played the game. Thirdly, this did make me lol. I do try and keep regular with the updates, though.**

**Guest: ****You're welcome! Also, the requirements for wielding the Master Sword are as follows "Only the true hero that is "pure of heart and strong of body" is capable of wielding the sacred blade, and as such, those with tainted hearts cannot even touch this powerful sword." That's from the Zelda Wiki article. This means that there are probably other heroes that could wield it. Yes, I have seen the trailer, and I have to say that it actually looks interesting. **

**sokairoxnam12349: Yep. The Medallions were always something that I've liked since I've played A Link to the Past, so I figured I'd throw them in here as well. I just wanna know why Merlin has them... Also, lolz on the Phil reference. Thanks for the compliment, though.**

**GameHero: Well, if you've read Pt. 2 of LoHH, then you'll see that Link does gain access to those abilities. He'll get the Hidden Skills and Skyward Strike at the end of Pt. 1. As for the combination attacks, I don't know if I'll include that idea or not... I'll have to give that serious consideration... As stated before, I will not be using Majora's Mask storyline for LoHH. It's not a bad game, but I just don't see how I'd wanna work that into the story. Besides, that is based on the younger Link, and I've been planning on keeping Link an adult for the rest of LoHH... though I have planned a cameo mention for the Majora's Mask storyline. **

**Wow, thanks for all the reviews! Now, would someone do the disclaimer?**

**Maleficent: I will. The pathetic human known to you simpletons as "GamesMaster64" doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or the Legend of Zelda.**

**Me: Yeah... Maleficent... you're not gonna get a good ending now. You not only insulted me, but also the readers. *turns to crowd* Please, everybody, ignore what she said. Now, on with the show!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 21: Olympus Coliseum Debut! The God, Hades!**

Sora and Link stared in apprehension as they were separated from their friends by the flames that Hades had summoned.

"TWO WORDS: BEWARE THE ANGRY GOD!" Phil shouted. The two heroes turned around and saw Hades approaching them, his look one of smug confidence. The two heroes drew their weapons, much to Hades delight.

"Challenge accepted I take it?" he asked, getting into a ready stance. Link stared at him.

"So, it was you who sent that giant dog to attack us, was it?" Link asked, looking for an opening.

"Hmph. Stupid mutt couldn't even get your weapons. They interest a... partner of mine. Well, if you need to get something done, you gotta do it yourself, I guess." Hades said. He then straightened himself so he was standing fully upright. "Oh, goat boy forgot Rule 12." Hades said.

"What rule is that?" Sora asked. Hades' look suddenly became maniacal.

"THERE ARE NO RULES!" he shouted before rushing at the two.

Time seemed to slow as that mysterious voice again informed Link and Sora of their newest opponent.

_**This battle will be like none other you have fought, for you now face**_

**God of the Underword, Hades**

Link rolled off to the side, and thrust the Master Sword at Hades, who merely sidestepped it and shot a fireball at Link. They Kokiri teen couldn't dodge the attack and was sent flying, his grip on the Master Sword loosening, which sent the sacred blade flying. Hades was about to rush for it, but was stopped by Sora. Hades took care of him by coating his arm in flames and swinging them at the young Keyblader. Sora was struck with the attack and flew into the wall. Hades laughed maniacally.

"At last, I have the sword. Maleficient said it was as powerful as the Keyblade." Hades said, bending down to pick the sword up. Just as he touched it, Hades was sent flying away. "Yowch! That really hurt..." the god muttered, getting to his feet. Hades tried again, but as he touched it, he was sent flying away again. "Now, why can't I grab that accursed blade!?" Hades asked, the flames on his head turning from blue to red. He rushed at the sword again, but was repelled a third time. He heard something whirling through the air, and turned around to see what it was. About the only thing he saw was Link standing up, the chosen Hero in a stance that suggested he'd thrown something. Hades then was hit in the face by something and found himself unable to move. He managed to see Link's boomerang, which had returned to its wielder. Link then walked over to the Master Sword and picked it up. He turned to Hades.

"You will not ever be able to touch the Master Sword. It can only be wielded by one of pure heart and strong body. Even one with the slightest bit of evil in their heart will not be able to touch this blade." Link said, pulling his Hylian shield out. Link looked over and saw Sora making his way over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora replied, nodding.

"Well, let's kick this guy's rear end, eh?" Link asked. Sora nodded. Hades, however, had other plans. He'd recovered from being stunned, and his flames had extended down his arms.

"NOT TODAY, BRATS!" Hades shouted, his voice full of fury. He launched a quick succession of fireballs at his oppoenents, his arms spinning around so fast that they appeared as a blur. Sora smirked, pointing the Keyblade in the air.

**Aero!**

A wind shield surrounded the two again, deflecting the fireballs back at Hades. However, the god absorbed the attack, seeming to get stronger. Link sighed, and lept at Hades, pointing the Master Sword in the air.

**Ether Medallion!**

A blast of frigid air surrounded Hades, calming his fire and stopping his attack. Hades retaliated by grabbing Link around the neck, and throwing him into Sora. The two fell to the ground in a jumbled mess, and Hades began to charge a large fireball.

"SAY GOODBYE, BRATS!" Hades shouted, throwing the fireball at them. Link and Sora made it to their feet to see the giant fireball heading toward them. Link reacted immediately, holding up the Hylian Shield. The fireball struck it, and the Mirror Shield properties absorbed the attack. Link noticed that the shield had acquired a red glow to it. Link then had an idea. He turned to Sora.

"Hey, Sora! I got an idea." Link said. However, he saw Hades had fired a second giant fireball. Link decided to test his theory. As Sora watched, Link pointed the Hylian Shield at the second fireball. He focused his magic to the shield and forced the fireball out. The two giant fireballs collided, causing a giant explosion and a shockwave. Link then turned to Sora. "Shoot me with some Blizzards!"

"Sure thing!" Sora said, pointing the Keyblade at the Hylian Shield.

**Blizzard!**

Sora shot the spell, and Link was pleased to see that the shield absorbed the spell. Sora was about to shoot a second one in, but was interrupted as Hades rushed in. Link deflected the blow, and struck back with the Master Sword. Hades deflected the initial thrust, but didn't expect Link to turn the thrust into a horizontal slice. Hades was hit, and Link continued the offensive. Hades managed to finally dodge the attack, but didn't expect what was coming next. Sora had moved in rapidly, and unleashed his new attack.

**Ars Arcanum!**

Sora struck Hades rapidly with the Keyblade seven times, and then proceeded to hit him six more times at a slower pace, but the hits were markedly harder. At the last strike, Hades was sent flying. Link nodded at Sora, who focused on his magic again.

**Blizzard!**

Another blue fireball was absorbed by Link's shield, and yet another as Sora fired the spell again. Link nodded, indicating that he had enough charged. The two turned around and saw Hades recovering. Sora readied the Keyblade yet again.

**Sliding Dash!**

Sora propelled himself forward using the Keyblade, and attempted to strike Hades. However, the god countered by shooting a fireball at the Keyblade. Sora was hit by the attack, and lost his grip on the Keyblade, and both went flying in different directions. Hades rushed to grab the Keyblade, but had to jump back when Link struck out with a vertical slash. Link put the Hylian Shield away and picked up the Keyblade. Link looked and saw Sora was out cold for now. Link turned back to the god, who stared at Link as if daring the Kokiri to attack. Link rushed in, feinting a blow with the Keyblade and striking with the Master Sword. Hades grabbed the Keyblade, but was struck by the Master Sword, which caused him to lose grip on the Keyblade. Link then used both weapons in tandem, pummeling the god with both weapons. Link finished off the barrage with a Jump Attack with both weapons. Sora then woke up, and saw Link use the Jump Attack with both weapons.

"Link! I'm open!" Sora shouted. Link understood and threw the Keyblade back at Sora, who rushed over. However, Hades rose up and teleported out of the arena via a Corridor of Darkness. Sora and Link watched as the flames around the arena dispersed. The two heroes were rushed by Phil, Hercules, Donald, and Goofy.

"That was amazing! You kids are something else!" Phil said. Hercules nodded.

"Yep. You two are something else." Hercules said.

"Hey! I'll bet I can move that pedestal now!" Sora said. Before anyone could say anything, Sora rushed to the lobby where the pedestal was.

* * *

Unknown Location

"Well, it looks like Hades has failed." Ursula said. The other villains nodded.

"I hear Maleficent went to go pay him a visit... I don't envy him." Capt. Hook added.

"The fact that the other kid's blade can't be touched by us is an issue, though." Clayton added. "Means that even if we get the Keyblade, he'll still be able to combat the Heartless."

"I go with Ursula's idea... just turn them into Heartless!" Oogie Boogie added. The other villains nodded.

* * *

Entrance to the Underworld

Hades reappeared, and saw Maleficent waiting for him.

**"So, I see you have failed to retrieve either blade... Tell me why I shouldn't let the Heartless feast on your heart right now." **Maleficent said, the look on her face one of displeasure. Hades stared back at her.

"Well, how about that other blade, kid called it the 'Master Sword', can't be touched by one with a tainted heart." Hades said. Maleficent nodded.

**"I see... well, I don't ever want to see you again until I call for you. Until then, you can stay here." **Maleficent said before teleporting away. Hades started muttering curses at her after she'd left.

* * *

Olympus Coliseum Lobby

Sora approached the pedestal and tried to push it. However, he still wasn't getting anywhere. Just when he was about to give up hope, it moved.

"Huh?" Sora looked around and saw Link, Goofy, and Donald helping him. "What are you guys doing?" Sora asked.

"There's no rule saying we can't help, is there?" Donald asked with a smile on his face. Working together, the four moved the pedestal. What they saw on the floor surprised them.

"Is that... a Keyhole?" Link asked in disbelief. Sora pointed the Keyblade at it. A beam of light shot out and locked the Keyhole, causing another Navigation Gummi to pop out. Goofy picked it up.

"Gawrsh! It's another Navigation Gummi!" he said. Link put the Gummi in his pouch, and turned to Phil and Hercules.

"Well, I think it's almost time for us to get going." Link said. Sora walked over to Hercules.

"Thanks for everything." Sora said. Hercules nodded, then led Sora away.

"I have another move I wanna teach you." Hercules said. The other three watched as Hercules taught Sora how to use Stun Impact, where Sora swung the Keyblade, stunning enemies surrounding him. Link thought the skill would come in handy since the attack didn't have to connect in order for it to stun the enemies. The three then said their goodbyes and boarded the Gummi Ship on their way back to Traverse Town.


	25. Chapter 22

**A/N: After overcoming writer's block, I am back with another chapter for the Legend of Hyrule Hearts! But first, it's time for review responses!**

**sokairoxnam12349: Yeah, the fight with Opposite Armor has already concluded. If you forgot, you can refresh yourself in Ch. 18. As far as Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword go, it'll probably only be Twilight Princess that gets put into the story.**

**Prometheus: Okay, it's fine. Just throws me off sometimes. As far as the Maleficent comment goes, I thought she was already bald? And she could just warp out of the room, you know. Well, she won't be doing the disclaimer anymore, I've made sure of that!**

**Anonymous Hearts: A new reviewer approaches! Thanks for the compliment. **

**Me: Okay, I want Sora to do the disclaimer!**

**Sora: Why me?**

**Me: Because I said so, and if you don't, I'll tell Kairi that you like her!**

**Sora: GamesMaster64 does not own Kingdom Hearts or the Legend of Zelda!**

**Me: Thank you... I was bluffing by the way.**

**Sora: What!?**

**Me: Enjoy the story, folks!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 22: Undersea Adventure! The Mermaid Princess!**

After arriving back in Traverse Town, the group spent some time resting and relaxing. The two that spent the most time resting were Link and Sora, and their two companions didn't blame them. After all, they'd fought a giant, three-headed dog and then the god of the underworld. However, today they were setting out for a new destination. The first stop the group made was to Cid's who said he'd install the Navigation Gummi they'd found at Olympus Coliseum. While they were waiting, the group decided to pay a visit to Leon. However, the man wasn't in his training place. The group then visited Aerith, who said she hadn't seen Leon in a day or so. The group decided to head out. After boarding the Gummi Ship, the group headed out for their next destination. According to the map, it was a place called "Atlantica".

* * *

Unknown Location

"Well, Hades is out now." Clayton said.

"That's one less ugly to worry about!" Oogie Boogie added, laughing.

"Well, those brats are getting to be trouble. I hope Malefictent knows what she's doing." Capt. Hook added.

"I'd still rather turn them all into Heartless." Ursula added.

**"Enough. Ursula, they are headed for your world next. Try and do what you can to get those weapons." **Maleficent said, walking up to the group. Ursula nodded, disappearing in a Corridor of Darkness.

* * *

Atlantica

As the group collided with the world, they noticed that their momentum had slowed down. Link looked out one of the windows.

"Well, I see why we slowed down..." he said. Sora looked out another window.

"We're not really going out there, are we?" he asked. Donald nodded. "Are you _nuts!? _We'll drown!"

"Not with my magic!" Donald said, shaking his head. The four then left the ship. Sora started to try and hold his breath, until he saw that he could breath.

"I... can breathe?" Sora asked. Donald nodded. Sora caught the movement, and looked over to see Donald. The duck was bare-chested and from the waist down he had the body of an octopus. Sora looked over and saw Goofy. The only thing unchanged on the Knight's body was his head. Everything else was the body of a turtle. Sora then saw Link. The Kokiri was bare-chested as well, and from the waist down he had a green tail fin. He still had his sword and shield strapped across his back, and he had a water-proof belt and pouch. Sora looked down and saw the same change as Link to his own body, except his tail fin was blue.

"I turned us all into fish!" Donald triumphantly said. Link nodded.

"Nice going. Now, let's find that Keyhole and split." he said, with the other three nodding in agreement. The four swam through the ocean, though it took some getting used to. After they had the hang of it, they picked a direction and swam. They didn't make it very far when they heard some shouts ahead.

"Sebastian, quick! They've followed us here!"

"Slow down, Ariel!" As the group watched, a crab, fish, and mermaid swam into view. They stopped when they saw the group. The two groups faced each other. The mermaid started to swim up to them, but the crab swam in front of her.

"Careful, Ariel. They could be in league with those creatures!" the crab said, gesturing toward the four. Ariel studied them carefully, then shook her head.

"I don't think so, Sebastian. They don't look anything like them, do they Flounder?" she asked, turning to the yellow fish. Flounder shook his head.

"No, they don't. There's something strange about them, though..." the fish muttered. Sora laughed nervously.

"Us? What's so wierd about us?" he asked. Before anyone could reply, several Heartless followed the group of three into the clearing. There were four new types of Heartless that the group had not encountered yet. Sora filled them in on each one as he felt the call of the Keyblade.

First up were the had spherical bodies that were pitch black and streaked with dark blue. Their glowing, yellow eyes were rather small. The inside of their mouths were blue, and the mouths themselves were jagged, toothy openings. They had three thick, black and blue tentacles with frayed, pink tips sprouting out of their bodies, two on top and one on bottom. Sora warned that the Darkballs woud attack with a charging chomp, or they would fling themselves about as if they had gone beserk.

Next were Sea Neons. They looked like jellyfish.. While they had a number of small bluish-green tentacles dangling beneath them, they also had two massive pale blue ones in the fron. Within their light grayish-blue transparent heads and hidden behind the prominent emblem there are their sinister Heartless visages, complete with crooked, toothy smiles, bright yellow eyes, and medium-length plumes that ended in a spiral. Sora told the group that they didn't have much power behind their attacks, but they were very quick and agile.

After that, Sora warned them about the Screwdrivers. They were humanoid Heartless colored in shades of soothing sea and dark green, with gold bands and highlights. Sleek in form, they had finned feet to assist them in gliding through the water. Their elaborate helmets looked to help them with both camouflage and mobility. While the helmets were shaped like fish to help with blending in further, the fishs' gaping jagged mouths that serves as the helmets' eye slots, as well as the angular spiral black eyes of the helmets and the sinister glowing yellow eyes of the Heartless themselves, each Screwdiver had a fierce and lethal appearance. They had the same emblem on their chests. However, the fins at the back of their helmets looked to serve as a three-bladed propeller. Their dark green clawed hands also gave away their violent tendencies, but the Screwdivers' favorite weapons seemed to be their tridents; medium blue and featuring three flared prongs ending in lethal barbs, the tridents looked to be deadly weapons indeed. Sora warned that they would perform all sorts of spinning, charging attacks.

The bloated, whale-like Aquatanks were last, and boasted many common features with their other Heartless brethren, in spite of their large size. They had the jagged jawlines and bright yellow eyes, albeit awkwardly placed on top of their balloon-shaped bodies. Below their jawline was the same emblem as some of the other Heartless had. The bodies' jagged-stripe pattern in alternating light blue and turquoise echo the jaw, and the sharp dorsal and tail fins were also rather pointy, though more curved in nature. The pectoral fins, which gradated from turquoise near the body to a dark blue at the tips, were long and ended in sharp claws. The top of the heads were a dark navy blue and from it sprouted glowing yellow lures, similar to anglerfish, save that they ended in spirals. Sora warned them that the Aquatanks had a symbiotic relationship with the Screwdrivers, and would swallow them and launch them at their foes. Soar also added that when their lures glowed, they would unleash a Thunder attack that would heal all Screwdrivers in the vicinity. The last thing Sora added was that the Aquatanks absorbed Thunder spells.

"Let's go!" Sora said, rushing in. Link followed him. Donald opted to stay back and cast his spells, while Goofy also went up close and personal with them.

"Don't mess with me!" Link said, dodging a stab from a Screwdriver's trident. He thrusted the Master Sword toward it, defeating the Heartless. For the first time, Link noticed that a heart was released when the Heartless with the symbols was defeated. Link figured he'd ask someone at Traverse Town the next time they stopped by. For now, he had to focus on the fight. He deftly dodged a Thunder spell from an Aquatank, and thrust his sword into the creature, dispelling it. Link found himself surrounded by Screwdrivers and Darkballs. Focusing on his magic, Link decided he needed some breathing space.

**Hero Skill: Super Spin!**

Link's attack defeated some of the Heartless, but the rest were on the outer edge of the attack and only got pushed back. Link rushed in, blocking a trident with his Hylian Shield and thrusting his sword at the offending Heartless.

"Take that!" Sora shouted, thrusting his Keyblade into a Sea Neon, defeating it. Sora turned the thrust into a side slice as a Darkball tried to take a bite out of him, but Sora stopped that plan. Sora ducked to dodge a Screwdriver that had been propelled at him from an Aquatank. Sora rushed at the Aquatank, hitting it with the Keyblade. After a few strikes, the Aquatank gave in, and Sora found himself faced with three angry-looking Screwdrivers. Sora dodged one of them, but the second one caught his shirt on its trident. Just as the third one was about to spear him, the attack was blocked by Goofy, who had gone into his shell and propelled himself at the attack. Goofy was sent flying away, and a sword slice from Link ended the third Screwdriver. Link swam over Sora and the second Screwdriver, defeating it as well. A couple of Darkballs thought they could rush at the group, but didn't expect Donald to have a spell ready and coming at them.

**Blizagga!**

That put an end to the Darkballs. The group of four quickly dispatched of the rest of the Heartless, which were down to Sea Neons and Darkballs. Shortly after, Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder swam up to them.

"Wow! That was amazing! The way you defeated those creatures!" Ariel said, with Flounder nodding along. The group quickly brushed the compliments aside, and Ariel invited them to her grotto. Along the way, Sora found a glowing stone that looked like the head of a trident. When the group arrived at the grotto, they saw there was a large collection of various trinkets, which Ariel told them she scavenged from sunken ships.

"Why collect all this?" Link asked, picking up a music box, though he had no clue what it was.

"Well, I wanna visit the surface. Life here is boring under the sea. Up there, I'll bet it's exciting! After that, I wanna go and travel to other worlds!" Ariel said. Everyone turned to face her.

"Other... worlds?" Sora asked, feeling uneasy. Ariel nodded, but before she could explain, she was stopped by a voice.

"ARIEL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" the voice yelled. The seven turned around to see a muscular merman wearing a crown.

"Who is that?" Link asked. Sebastian swam in front of the merman.

"You swim before King Triton, the King of the Sea!" he announced. Ariel swam over to the group of four.

"He's also my father..." she whispered. Triton turned to Ariel.

"Ariel... didn't I tell you not to leave the castle?" he asked. He continued to scold Ariel, causing her to swim away in tears, followed by Flounder. That is when he saw the other four. "Just who are you?" he asked, his stern look becoming more fierce. Before Sora could say something to mess it up, Link stepped in.

"We were just swimming through, and saw your daughter in a spot of trouble. We helped her out, and she invited us here." Link said. Triton nodded.

"Speaking of which, Your Majesty." Sebastian said, turning to Triton. "Those strange creatures... their numbers seem to grow by the day." Triton nodded.

"I know, and very little anyone can do to stop it..." he added. While Triton and Sebastian continued to discuss the issue they were having with the Heartless, Sora saw an indentation on the wall of Ariel's grotto that was shaped like the odd stone. Sora fitted the stone into the hole, and it started to glow. Sora felt the Keyblade calling, and it summoned itself. Before whatever was happening could finish, a golden blast destroyed the stone, leaving the indentation.

"What was that for?" Link asked.

"I SEE! YOU LIED TO ME!" Triton bellowed, his golden trident glowing. "YOU ARE THE KEYBEARER!" Sora, at this point, could only nod. "Then you should know that the Keybearer is not to interfere with the workings of other worlds. After all, he only brings ruin and destruction." Triton added. Link grew furious.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" he shouted. Triton turned to the Kokiri. "Sora is a good person, and we help the worlds by sealing Keyholes!" Link continued. Triton stared at him.

"Really...? Well, the Keybearer is still trouble. I'll ask you nicely one time: Please, leave my ocean. We have no need for the trouble the Keybearer brings. If I see you again, I'll force you out myself." Triton turned to leave, swimming away with Sebastian. After Triton and Sebastian left, the group decided they'd head out and look for the Keyhole elsewhere.

* * *

Near Ursula's Lair

Ariel and Flounder had finally stopped swimming, and Ariel was still crying. However, a presence she felt made her stop and look up. There, she saw Ursula.

"Now, now, my dear? Why are you crying?" she asked. Ariel explained what had happened. Ursula tutted. "Well, dear daddy was mean, wasn't he? Well, would it surprise you to hear that your friends are from another world? One is even from another entire dimension!" Urusula told her. Ariel's look became on of surprise.

"Really?" she asked. Urusula nodded.

"You see, they had special help from that key and that sword. Now, you can get special help to. Just bring me your father's Trident and I can help you see other worlds, okay?" she asked. Ariel nodded. "Good... Now, could you do dear Urusula another favor?" Ursula asked again. Ariel nodded. "I also need those two weapons... if you could fetch them for me, I can definitely let you go see other worlds." Ursula said. Ariel nodded, and the sea-witch swam away. Ariel started to swim toward the palace, while Flounder went to go find the four strangers that had helped them.


	26. Chapter 23

**Well, here's the newest chapter of LoHH. I think Atlantica is bad for me... this and the previous chapter gave me writer's block something fierce! Now, review responses!**

**Sokairoxnam12349: I know that Atlantica isn't the next world, but I wanted to change some things around.**

**Anonymous Hearts: All in one here. Firstly, thanks again for the compliment. Secondly, they're not gonna have such an easy time back in Hyrule. Yeah, I think Phil was absent when they taught counting. Not really much to say for your next review. PHIL REF! Well, Maleficent won't die, but she'll have to face Link and Sora! Well, this next comment got to me! I'm glad you think so highly of my work that you'd say that! **

**goldenlight001: Ummm, thanks I guess?**

**Prometheus: Okay, I'll check it out.**

**Me: Disclaimer, please!**

**Goofy: Gawrsh! I guess I'll do it! GamesMaster64 doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or The Legend of Zelda, a-hyuck!**

**Me: Enjoy!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 23: Undersea Adventure! Ursula's Move!**

"Where is that cursed Keyhole!?" Donald yelled. The four had been swimming for a while looking for the Keyhole, but to no avail. While they were swimming, Flounder stopped them.

"Hey, you guys!" he called out, causing the four to turn around.

"Hey, it's that 'Flounder' feller, a-hyuck!" Goofy said.

"Ariel's in trouble!" Flounder said. This got them on alert.

"Lead us to her, Flounder!" Sora said. The fish nodded, and took off, with the four following him. Flounder led them to the Palace. However, they arrived to see Ariel swimming away with the Trident.

"NO! WE'RE TOO LATE!" Flounder cried out as Ariel swam off. Link shook his head.

"Not if we swim fast enough." he said, taking off, with the other four following him. They chased after Ariel, but it seemed that everytime they were starting to catch up, she would take a turn, and they would have to backtrack from passing the turn. However, they caught up to Ariel after a few minutes. However, they were too late as Ursula had the Trident. She turned around and laughed upon seeing them.

"Well, well... Look who's tardy to the party." Ursula said. Her two eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, swam up behind her, cackling evilly. Ursula turned to Link and Sora, who had drawn their weapons. "Now, had over the Keyblade and the Master Sword, and Ariel doesn't get hurt!" Ursula said, pointing the Trident at Ariel.

"URSULA! YOU ARE BANNED FROM THESE WATERS!" Triton shouted, swimming up, followed by Sebastian. However, the sight of Ursula wielding the Trident made him stop short. "YOU'VE STOLEN THE TRIDENT!? IS THERE NO END TO YOUR TREACHERY?" he roared. However, Ursula replied by shooting a beam at him, turning him into a shriveled-looking creature.

"Oh, no... Daddy..." Ariel muttered. Ursula laughed, rounding on Ariel.

"Be careful what you wish for! Now, you wanted to visit another world? Well, prepare to go TO THE DARK WORLD OF THE HEARTLESS!" Ursula cried out.

"You gotta get through us first!" Sora said, brandishing the Keyblade. Ursula turned on them, firing a ball-shaped energy at them. Link stepped in front of the attack. "What are you doing, Link!?" Sora asked. Link shook his head.

"Trust me on this, Sora." Link said, readying the Master Sword. He swung it at the ball of energy, which deflected and hit Flotsam and Jetsam, who were burned into crisps. Their bodies disappeared as Ursula rounded on the group, as she was about to send Ariel away.

"YOU KILLED MY HENCHMEN!" she shouted, shooting another bolt of energy. Link struck it back, and Ursula retaliated in kind.

"One game of Dead Man's Volley it is!" Link said, hitting the bolt back. The bolt bounced back and forth between the two. It struck Urusla again, who roared and swam away. The group persued, leaving Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian to look after Triton.

* * *

Underwater Clearing, Atlantica

The group pursued Ursula to a clearing in the ocean. There, she rounded on the group and began to glow with the power of the Trident. She grew to colossal size, and the sea swirled around. The group noticed a giant wooden ship that was stirred up. They rode it to the surface, where it stayed above ground. Donald quickly changed the group back. Above the surface, Ursula rose in the wind, rain, and lightning. The mysterious voice called out to the group again.

_**Your newest enemy is **_

**Undersea Witch, Ursula**

As they were getting ready to start the battle, Link looked back and saw Ariel swimming on the surface.

"ARIEL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Link asked, shouting down at her.

"I WANNA HELP!" she said. Link nodded.

"STAY IN THE WATER! IF ONE OF US FALLS, YOU CAN GET US BACK ONTO THE SHIP!" Link shouted. Ariel nodded, and Link turned to face Ursula. The sea-witch launched a huge energy orb at the group. However, Link deflected the blow, engaging Ursula in another game of Dead Man's Volley. After the energy ball traveled back and forth a few times, it struck Ursula in the face. Link lept onto one of her legs, followed by Sora and Goofy. The three started to strike Ursula with their weapons, but the sea-witch recovered and knocked them off sending them into the ocean again. Ariel went into action. She grabbed Goofy first, grabbing the Disney Court Knight and building up momentum for swimming. She then charged to the surface, leaping over the boat and dropping him onto the ship again. She did the same with Link and Sora as well. Ursula, meanwhile, was trying to sink the ship. A tentacle came slamming down.

"I think not!" Donald said, pointing his staff at the incoming tentacle.

**Firaga!**

A small fireball shot out, exploding with a lot of force agains the tentacle. Ursula roared in pain, and shot an energy bolt from the Trident. Link engaged Ursula in another round of Dead Man's Volley, but this time Link missed. The energy bolt put a hole in the ship, though it stayed above due to the power of the Trident stirring the seas. Ursula laughed.

"All the seas will roar! I am the Queen of the Sea!" she shouted. Link shook his head, thrusting the Master Sword into the air.

**Ether Medallion!**

Cold winds were forced from the Master Sword, physically freezing Ursula in her tracks. Sora then struck next, jumping out on a tentacle.

**Ars Arcanum!**

Sora struck Ursula's face rapidly seven times, then six more times at a slower pace. He then managed to land on the ship as Urusla recovered. Link pulled out his boomerang, and threw it, targeting Ursula's tentacles. The boomerang struck five of them, and Ursula found herself unable to swim properly. Link put the Boomerang away, and pulled out a bomb.

"Sora! Batter up!" Link said, tossing the lit explosive toward Sora. The Keyblader struck it toward Ursula, and the explosive blew up in her face. Ursula was angry now, and shot an energy bolt at the ship, destroying it. Donald managed to turn the group into fish before they crashed. Link pulled the Master Sword and Hylian Shield out, charging at Ursula. He struck her arm that held the Trident, causing her to drop it. Ariel retrieved it, and used its power to shrink Ursula back down to normal size.

"This makes it more even!" Link said, rushing at Urusla, followed by Sora and Goofy. Ursula laughed, and opened her mouth. Bubbles burst out, but Goofy took them out by going into his shell. Seeing she was outmatched, Ursula retreated into a Corridor of Darkness. Link turned to Sora.

"Well, that's one issue solved. Now, where is the Keyhole?" he asked. Sora shrugged his shoulders, and the group joined Ariel.

"Let's go get your father taken care of." Sora said. Ariel nodded, and the five swam to where Triton was being looked over by Sebastian and Flounder. Ariel used the Trident to turn him back to normal. Trident turned to the group.

"I want to thank you. I guess I misunderstood you, Keybearer. I want to thank you for returning peace to my ocean." Triton said. He turned to Ariel. "Take the Trident and use it on the indentation in your grotto." Triton told her. Ariel nodded. Triton turned to the group again. "Do me a favor, Keybearer. Seal the Keyhole. You'll find it in Ariel's grotto. That rock you found would've revealed it." Triton said. Sora nodded, and the group followed Ariel to her grotto. There, Ariel revealed the Keyhole, and Sora sealed it. The group then made their way back to their Gummi Ship after bidding Ariel farewell. Once inside, Donald turned them all normal again. Sora stretched out.

"Oh, man! I'm sore from the swimming!" Sora said. Link nodded, pulling out some papers from his pouch.

"Well, it was worth it. We sealed another Keyhole and I found some pages to what looks like Ansem's report." Link said. The group looked at the papers, but they couldn't understand it.

"Gawrsh! It looks like a different langauge, a-hyuck!" Goofy said. There was a beeping from the front of the Gummi Ship. Looking at the dash, Link saw a buttong flashing that read "Press me!" Link did so, and an image of Cid popped up.

"Yo, yo, yo! Cid here! You guys reading me?" he asked. Donald looked at Cid with a look of agitation.

"What is this?" Donald asked, a vein on his head pulsing. Cid laughed.

"I installed it when I installed that Navigation Gummi for you guys!" he said. Donald then began to jump up and down in anger, steam pouring out of his ears.

"YOU DID IT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" Donald shouted. Link put a hand on the wizard's shoulder.

"Chill, Donald." Link said before turning to Cid. "Hey, Cid! I found what I think are some pages to Ansem's report. However, we can't read it." Link said. Cid perked up at that.

"Really? Well, translating will be our job. Just put it in that slot on the dashboard." Cid said. Link did as he was told, inserting the papers in the machine. They heard a beeping, and then Cid had the exact same pages Link had before. "Yep, that's part of Ansem's report, all right. Well, we'll get working on this. Oh, I have a message from Phil. He says someone wants to fight you at Olympus Coliseum. Otherwise, you can head here and install another Navigation Gummi." Cid told them. Link shook his head.

"No can do, Cid. We didn't find anymore. Looks like we'll have to see what's in store for us at Olympus Coliseum." Link told him. Cid nodded in understanding, then hung the call up. Donald fired up the Gummi Ship and turned it to Olympus Coliseum.

* * *

Unknown Location

The mysterious group sat around the display, watching Ursula's defeat.

"She always relied too much on her henchmen and that Trident." Capt. Hook said.

"Well, looks like another one's down! The odds are heating up!" Oogie Boogie said, laughing maniacally.

"I wonder who will be next to fall to them?" Clayton asked.

**"Enough. There can be no more failure." **Maleficent said. **"For now, we do nothing. We'll see where they are going next."**


	27. Chapter 24

**A/N: Yes, I'm back with yet another chapter of LoHH! Sorry it's been so long folks! I've gotten busy with other things, namely making my own game, roleplaying, and working on a Flash project. At any rate, here's the next chapter. First, review responses!**

**goldenlight001: Meh, that happens sometimes. Thanks for the review, though!**

**Prometheus: All in one here yet again. First of all, I shall be sure to check the story out. Secondly, Sora is kinda busy now. I'll be sure to let him know, though! Thirdly, I have plans concerning that, and I think you'll be very surprised at it. Fourthly, I am not dead. As I said before, I just got really busy. Thanks for the concern, though!**

**sokairoxnam: Thanks for the compliment. For the record, I hate trying to spell your username. **

**Disclaimer, please!**

**Navi: HEY! I'll do it!**

**Me: Crud! She's back!**

**Navi: HEY! LISTEN! GamesMaster64 doesn't own the Legend of Zelda, or Kingdom Hearts! Those belong to Nintendo and Square Enix!**

**Me: Thank you, Navi. Now, go away.**

**Navi: Why?**

**Me: You're annoying! Enjoy the chapter, folks!**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 24: Games at Olympus Coliseum! Sora vs. Cloud!**

Donald landed the Gummi Ship just outside the gates at Olympus Coliseum. The four walked in to see Phil and Hercules talking. Phil looked over at the group.

"Hey! Just the three people I wanted to see!" Phil said. Link stared.

"Ummm... I think there's four of us here, Phil..." Link said. However, the Satyr waved the Kokiri off with his hand, as if to say 'who cares?' Link shook his head, and followed the rest of the group into the Coliseum Lobby. Phil turned to Sora.

"Hey, you! Pipsqueak! That Cloud character wants to face off against you in the arena. One on one." Phil said. Sora nodded.

"Tell him: 'Challenge Accepted!'" Sora said, grinning as he put his hands behind the back of his head. Phil nodded, and left. He appeared a short while later, and motioned for Sora to follow him. Hercules led the other three to the viewing stands, and they got there just in time to see Sora and Cloud emerge into the arena. Down below, Phil was laying down some last minute rules.

"Don't forget Rule #13: Fight a fair fight. Then, there's Rule #14: No interference. Can't forget Rule # 15: Have fun! Also, there's Rule # 16: Don't kill anyone!" Phil said. "Got it?" The two nodded at Phil's question, and the Satyr signaled the start of the match. In Sora's mind, the mysterious voice made itself known again.

_**Your newest opponent is **_

**Vengeful Swordsman, Cloud**

Cloud rushed at Sora, who deflected the initial strike with the Keyblade. However, he didnt' see the other two blows coming, and was sent flying. Sora lept back up, and charged at Cloud, who deflected the Keyblader with ease. Cloud charged at Sora again, who managed to roll out of the way of the attack. Sora then pointed the Keyblade at Cloud.

**Fire!**

Cloud didn't see the fireball coming, and the explosion threw him off balance.

**Sliding Dash!**

Sora then twirled the Keyblade before propelling himself forward, striking the off-balance Cloud. Sora then struck Cloud a few more times before the swordsman recovered and sent Sora flying with a single blow. Sora got back up. Cloud rushed at his opponent, hitting him repeatedly with his Buster Sword. Sora could only withstand the barrage, until he got an idea. Sora focused on his magic.

**Aero!**

Cloud wasn't expecting the wind tornado to surround Sora, and was sent flying back from the attack. Sora ran after his opponent.

**Ars Arcanum!**

Sora struck Cloud with the combo, which sent the sworsman flying into the wall. Sora was about to follow up, until he saw Cloud floating in the air.

"My turn, Keyblader." Cloud said.

**Omnislash!**

Cloud flew down toward Sora, striking him hard. Again and again, Cloud attacked the Keyblader. Sometimes, Sora managed to dodge. However, Sora was getting fed up with being a target.

"No more Mr. Nice Keyblade!" Sora said, throwing the Keyblade at Cloud, who was rushing at him yet again.

**Strike Raid!**

The Keyblade struck Cloud, sending him flying backward. Sora wasn't finished, and threw it after focusing magic to the tip of the weapon.

**Fire Raid!**

The Keyblade struck Cloud while he was still in midair, and the explosion threw him higher. Sora ran at where Cloud would land, Keyblade at the ready.

**Ars Arcanum!**

Cloud was again struck with the combo, and finally hit the ground. Cloud got up, and glared at Sora.

"You're good, kid. Let's see you counter this!" Cloud concentrated, and began to float in the air again.

**Omnislash, Version 5!**

Cloud then seemed to disappear, reappearing near Sora. Cloud knocked him into the air, and did the warp again. He slamed into Sora several times, finally reappearing above him, and slamming him down onto the ground. Sora got up, though he had difficutly doing so.

**Cure!**

Sora healed himself, and then stared as Cloud landed. Sora glared as Cloud looked at him with smug confidence, though one could see that the swordsman was hurting.

**Fire!**

Again, the explosion caught Cloud off guard.

**Sliding Dash!**

This time, the attack struck, and Cloud flew back a bit.

**Fire Raid!**

Again, the Keyblade was thrown at Cloud, who was sent flying further into the air. Sora ran over to where he was again, and struck him yet again.

**Ars Arcanum!**

Again, the combo struck Cloud, though Sora's last strike sent him flying upward.

**Thunder Raid!**

Cloud saw the Keyblade heading toward him, but was to weakened to do anything. As the Keyblade hit him, a bolt of Thunder came down from the sky, striking Cloud and sending him flying down.

"YOU'RE FINISHED!" Sora said, rushing in.

**Ars Arcanum!**

**Fire Raid!**

**Sliding Dash!**

**Fire Raid!**

Sora used all four attacks, one right after another. As Cloud was flying away, Sora pointed the Keyblade at him one last time.

**Fire!**

The fireball struck Cloud, who fell to the ground, his body bouncing a few more times. Phil came out.

"WINNER, SORA!" he announced. Cloud got up, and the two met at the center of the field. Both were battered, bruised, and cut. The two shook hands.

"We'll meet again, Sora." Cloud said to him. Sora nodded.

* * *

Back in the lobby, Sora re-united with the others. A quick Curaga from Donald helped Sora feel better, and they were given their reward by Phil.

"Here you go, kiddo. Great match." Phil said. Sora examined the prize. It was a Navigation Gummi. After the group left the lobby, Sora turned to the others.

"I think it's time we took this to Cid." Sora said. Link nodded.

"Good thing we came here, eh?" he asked. The rest of the group nodded, and boarded the Gummi Ship.


	28. Chapter 25

**After far too long of a delay, here is the next chapter of LoHH! First, review responses!  
**

**sokairoxnam12349: Yeah, I work with RPG Maker to make my games. Interesting... we might have to touch bases.**

**Prometheus: Don't worry, your real name won't be used. I don't use real names. Don't worry about the threat, I understand why you said what you said XD! Well, I might have Interwebz access at the hotel for MEPS. Well, accounts are free, and you can follow myself and any of your other favorite authors and stories. It's quite convenient, and a I follow a few authors myself. Top ten? I'll PM that to you if you get an account. Wait Half Dome, as in the hike? If so, I've always wanted to do that!**

**MoonRaiserDragon: Well, I can't promise fast updates, but here's the next one! Also, I don't think I'll be utilizing Limit Breaks for a while. Sora will probably get some canon (and maybe custom) Limit Breaks in a later part, but for now he'll have to do without. Link won't be getting Limit Breaks, ever. He'll have enough of an arsenal by the end of Part 1 anyway.  
**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 25: Neverland Fun! Escape the Pirate Ship!**

Merlin's House, Traverse Town

The group landed at Traverse Town, and dropped off the Navigation Gummi at Cid's, who promised to have it installed shortly. While they were waiting, Cid had told them that Merlin wanted to see them. The group thanked Cid, and made the walk to Merlin's house. Once there, the wizard upgraded Sora's magic, giving the Keyblader access to Fira, Thundara, Blizzara, Cura, Gravira, Stopra, and Aerora. Merlin also taught Sora Bind, which would prevent an enemy from moving, but not from attacking. After that, the group returned to Cid, who had the Navigation Gummi installed. The group boarded the Gummi Ship, and headed for their next destination.

* * *

Unknown Location

The smaller group watched their displays.

"Wonder where those bilge-rats are off to next..." Capt. Hook muttered.

"Don't know, but that person better turn 'em into Heartless or get rid of 'em. Otherwise, we'll have a spot of trouble on our hands." Clayton added in. That was when Maleficent approached.

**"Enough. Capt. Hook, they are headed for your ship. Pray that you stop them." **Captain Hook nodded at Maleficent's command. **"Before you head out, you'll be taking along another passenger." **Maleficent told him. A figure stepped out of the darkness.

"Let's get going..." the figure said.

* * *

Capt. Hook's Ship, Neverland

The group were struggling up after having crashed into something.

"What was that?" Link asked, retreiving the Master Sword, which had fallen out of its scabbard. The four looked out the windows and saw a huge wooden ship.

"This must be our next destination." Donald said. The other three nodded, and the four got out. However, as they got on the deck of the ship, a trap door opened, sending Donald, Goofy, and Link to the room below. Sora looked up and saw Capt. Hook standing with Riku.

"Riku! Hey! What are you doing here?" Sora asked. Riku stared at Sora.

"Looking for a way to help Kairi, unlike you. All you seem to care about these days is running around and showing off that Keyblade of yours. You don't even seem to care about Kairi." Riku said to Sora. Sora looked at Riku in surprise.

"Wait, you know where Kairi is!?" Sora asked. Riku nodded.

"Yep. However, you won't be seeing her anytime soon." Riku said. He gestured at Sora, whose shadow separated and formed into a Heartless version of himself.

"What was that!?" Sora asked, as the Shadow Sora pulled out a Keyblade. Riku laughed.

"You're not the only person that's picked up new tricks! The Heartless obey me now, Sora." Riku said. Sora thought hard about that.

"No, they don't listen to you. Sooner or later, they'll consume you." Sora said to him. Riku, however, ordered another trap door to be opened, sending Sora down with the rest of the group. Capt. Hook turned to Riku.

"What now?" he asked. Riku shook his head.

"Don't let them near Kairi. Oh, and Maleficent says that Wendy's not one of the ones we seek."

"WHAT!? After all that time spent capturing her?" Hook asked. Riku nodded.

"Yep. Apparently, there are seven of them, and Wendy's not one." Riku said. Capt. Hook watched the silver-haired boy leave.

"Hmph. Brat thinks he can order _me _around?" Hook asked. Smee, his assistant, came up to him.

"What do we do about our... little problems, Captain?" he asked. Hook shook his head.

"That hold is infested with Heartless. Let them deal with the brats." Hook replied.

Down in the hold, Link had finished off the Heartless surrounding them. The four then made their way out of their prison after having found a key. The group had to fight more Heartless, mostly just Shadows and Soldiers. Working their way from the hold, they encountered a room with a net above it. There, they saw a man also dressed in all green, though his clothes were slightly different from Link's. The man even had a pointy green hat on, though it wasn't as floppy as Link's. The man turned around and saw the group.

"Hold, pirates!" the man said, pulling a small dagger out of a sheath and pointing it at them. Link reacted by drawing the Master Sword.

"Whose the pirate here?" Link asked. The man laughed, sheathing his knife.

"Well, you don't seem like Hook's pirates to me." he said. The man then introduced himself as Peter Pan. Link nodded, introducing himself, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"So, what brings you four to Hook's Ship?" he asked.

"We're looking for a friend of mine." Sora said.

"That wouldn't be her, would it?" he asked, pointing up. Sora looked up and saw Kairi, her body floating above the net.

"KAIRI! HEY, KAIRI! IT'S ME, SORA!" Sora shouted up, but the girl didn't react.

"Wonder what's wrong with her?" Link wondered, staring up.

"Peter? Is that you, Peter?" a female voice asked. The five looked up and saw another girl, who had been curled up in the corner.

"Wendy! Hang on, I'll get you out of there!" Peter shouted up to her. Just then, Riku entered the room. He didn't bother to look down, but grabbed both Kairi and Wendy before leaving the room via another door. Peter took his hat off, and shook it. A yellow fairy came out, and Link and Sora almosted dreaded that it was Navi. However, Peter soon assuaged that fear.

"Hey, Tink, go and see where they took Wendy." Peter said. The fairy made a bunch of noised like a ringing bell.

"Oh, those are my new friends. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Link... say hello to Tinker Bell." Peter said. the fairy did a small curtsy before taking off. Meanwhile, Link saw another door.

"Looks like we can leave that way." Link said. The group of five left via the door, and found a stairwell. Peter Pan flew up, leaving the group by themselves after Tinker Bell came back and informed him that Wendy and Kairi had been taken separate directions. With Sora in the lead, the group went up the stairs and through a door to their left. They emerged in what appeared to be a living room of sorts. There, they saw Riku about to step through a Corridor of Darkness. He simply gestured, and Sora found himself facing his Shadow. Meanwhile, the other three were occupied with Shadows, Soldiers, and Red Nocturnes.

"Don't mess with me, Riku! I'm gonna rescue Kairi!" Sora shouted, swinging at his Shadow, which deflected the blow. Sora swung again and again, but his doppleganger blocked every blow. Frustrated, Sora cast Bind on his Shadow, and then unleashed an Ars Arcanum on it. However, the Shadow emerged from the floor after taking the hit. Again and again, Sora defeated the Shadow, only to have it keep re-emerging. Finally, Sora's Shadow stayed down for good, but Riku was long gone.

"Man, we couldn't get through those Heartless fast enough!" Donald said.

"Gawrsh, where do you think he took Kairi?" Goofy asked. Sora shook his head.

"I don't know. Riku... something's telling me... that you're on the wrong side." Sora muttered. Link put his hand on Sora's shoulder. Sora looked up to see the Kokiri wearing the most serious face he'd seen him wear.

"Don't worry, Sora. I'll help you get Kairi and Riku back." Link said, with Donald and Goofy adding in their own words of support.

"Thanks guys! Now, let's go find ourselves a Keyhole!" Sora said. The group nodded and headed through the door on the other side of the room from where they'd entered, ready to encounter anything.


	29. Chapter 26

**Well, I am back with another (hopefully) exciting installment of the Legend of Hyrule Hearts! My goal is to have Part 1 completed before autumn, so I should be updating fairly regularly. However, I have a new girlfriend, and I've been spending a lot of my time talking to her. Well, on to review responses!**

**MoonRaiserDragon: Here's the next chapter for you!**

**Prometheus: I'd noted that you'd joined. Nice to know, though. Also, as I said before, I've always wanted to take the Half-Dome Hike. It looks like a fun thing to do. As for what's gonna happen at the end, I won't say anything. What I will say is that none of the dimensions are going to really merge until Part 2. So, we won't be seeing any Heartless in Hyrule (well, unless I can somehow explain that one got away or something).**

**sokairoxnam12349: I see... I've never heard of Engine 001...**

**Merlin: GamesMaster64 is not the owner of Kingdom Hearts or the Legend of Zelda. Respectively, they belong to Square Enix and Nintendo.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 26: Neverland Fun! Mutiny Against Capt. Hook!**

The group entered through the door, and saw more Heartless. They all looked like pirates, though their costumes didn't quite succeed in covering the traditional Heartless dark skin and toothy jaw. They were bare-chested on their bellies and wearing black turtleneck shirts that were stitched into their chests, covering their upper torsos, save for the emblem in between, They were also clad in brown and tan-patched pants and matching shoes, a red sash, bright yellow wristbands, and skull-shaped shoulder armor. They wore bright red bandannas on their heads that covered their eyes; in place of one eye was a black eyepatch with a white cross on it, while in place of the other was an angular black spiral. The Pirates wielded intimidating swords. Their weapons boasedt a wide, curved blade, similar to a Chinese dao; halfway down, the blade was etched with a bright red crack and a yellow angled spiral mirroring the one on the Pirate's bandanna, which made it look like it featured a frowning face. There was no hilt, though the blade was held to the handle by a heavy duty clip. The sword's grip was covered in the same bright red fabric as the sash and bandanna. Sora knew without the Keyblade telling him that they were called Pirate Heartless.

Next, there were some that had wings, which the group could guess that they were called Air Pirates. The Air Pirate dressed very much in a pirate-like fashion, wearing a blue-and-white striped head scarf, a light blue neck wrap, skull-shaped shoulder pads, golden bracelets, bright blue baggy pants tied with a yellow sash, a brown knee-pad on the left leg, and long, narrow black shoes with brown straps. On close inspection, it appeared to be related to the Soldier-type Heartless, featuring the same yellow eyes, shadowed face, and jagged blue jaw. It also boasted a trim blue-skinned torso, fit for battle, and bright purple wings, enabling them to swoop down on enemies for an attack.

"Let's go!" Link said, drawing the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield. The otehrs drew their weapons, and rushed into battle. Link was the first one in, and was immediately surrounded by some Pirates, who brandished their swords at him. However, they couldn't match the agility and speed of the Kokiri. Link tore through the Heartless with an ease and effort that belied how little combat experience he actually had.

Sora, meanwhile, was faring equally well. He was using his Keyblade to block the incoming attacks, and then retaliating while the Heartless were recovering. Donald was firing off precision spells. Goofy was covering Donald, blocking the Heartless' attacks with his shield, and bashing them with it in return. After a few minutes of fierce fighting, the Heartless were defeated. The group made their way forward, only to see something that they didn't expect.

"Looking for something, Sora?" a voice asked. The three saw Riku standing with Capt. Hook and Smee. Riku turned to Capt. Hook. "This group has been causing Maleficent a lot of trouble. Make sure you take care of them." Riku said, disappearing into a Corridor of Darkness. Capt. Hook nodded. The mysterious voice as Capt. Hook walked in front of the group.

**You newest foe stands before you**

**Nefarious Pirate, Capt. Hook**

"So, you're the scurvy brats that have been causing trouble in the hold. For a moment, I thought it was that blasted Peter Pan, but I can deal with a couple of children." With that statement, Capt. Hook drew his sword out, before rushing at the group. However, it was apparent that Hook was an expert with his sword, after out-maneuvering Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Smee, meanwhile, used a whistle to call more Heartless to the battle. Link started in on Hook while the others took care of the Heartless.

"Hmph. You're not all that great." Link said, blocking the blows with his Hylian Shield. Link saw an opening, and took it, though Hook managed to evade the blow. The blades of the two clashed, the metal ringing out as the sounds of Sora, Donald, and Goofy fighting the Heartless seemed to fade. Link was finding that it took all of his newfound skill to keep the nefarious pirate at bay.

"You're not half bad, for a scurvy brat!" Hook said, as Link continued blocking his blows. After a few more minutes of the stalemate, Link finally took an opening Hook didn't see, and managed to strike Hook. The pirate jumped backward in pain, before pulling something out and tossing it. The something, Link realized, was a bomb. However, it was too late and Link was sent flying backward from the explosion. Link quickly recovered, and tossed a bomb of his own, sending Hook flying backward as he was advancing on the Kokiri.

"You're not the only one with an explosive surprise." Link said, tossing another bomb, which Hook dodged. Link did the same thing again, this time moving in with his boomerang. Hook dodged the bomb, but didn't see the boomerang until he'd been struck by it. Link then moved it, striking Hook with the Master Sword. The pirate recovered after a few seconds, and the two were quickly drawn into a stalemate yet again. The two blades continued to clash, as Link and Hook fought to gain ground and push the other backward.

"Stupid Heartless..." Sora muttered, defeating a few more Air Pirates with a well-placed Thundara spell. He, Donald, and Goofy had been fenced in by the Heartless, and were now trying to make it back to where Link and Hook were battling. Several explosions startled the combatants, and they saw Link and Hook trading explosives and blows. However, Smee was directing the Heartless so that Sora, Goofy, and Donald couldn't make their way over to their Kokiri friend. However, they saw that Link was holding his own against the pirate.

"Need some help, guys?" a voice called out from above. Sora looked up to see Peter Pan floating in midair, before he swooped down on the Heartless, his little dagger tearing through them.

"BLAST YOU, PETER PAN!" Hook shouted, before feeling pain where Link's Master Sword struck him. Link pressed his advantage, and soon he and Peter Pan had the pirate captain standing on a board sticking out the side.

"Time for you to walk the plank, Captain!" Peter said, shaking the board so Hook fell into the waters below. Link then moved to help his friends finish the last of Hook's Heartless crew. The group was then introduced to Peter's friends, the Lost Boys. They also formally met Wendy, who Peter had to return home. So, Peter had Tinkerbell sprinkle the ship with some of her dust, which allowed the ship to fly, much to the amazement of Link, Sora, Goofy, and Donald.

* * *

London, "Neverland"

The group had spent some fun time with the Lost Boys, and Donald had even won another few pages of Ansem's report from one of the boys in a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors". However, as they were passing by a huge clock (Wendy told them that it was called "Big Ben"), Sora had Peter stop the ship. The Keyblader walked out onto the plank, and pointed his Keyblade at Big Ben. That was when Link saw the Keyhole there. After the Keyhole was sealed and another Navigation Gummi obtained, the group discreetly returned to the Gummi Ship, and headed out to Traverse Town to return the report pages and figure out where they needed to go next.


	30. Chapter 27

**Well, here's the next installment of the Legend of Hyrule Hearts! A lot of backstory in this chapter, but it was something that needed done. Review responses!**

**MoonRaiserDragon: Thank you and here's the next one!**

**Rauru: GamesMaster64 owns not the Legend of Zelda or Kingdom Hearts. They are owned by Nintendo and Square Enix.**

**Table of Fonts:**

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

_Italics_: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

**Bold**: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

**Bold Underline**:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

_**Bold Italic**_: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

_Italic Underline_: Dream

* * *

**Chapter 27: Deep Jungle Exploration! Gorilla Rescue!**

Traverse Town

The group landed their Gummi Ship, and headed off to find Cid to have him install the Navigation Gummi. However, they couldn't find him in his shop. They decided to head to the Second District, only to run into Yuffie.

"Hey, guys! Am I glad I ran into you! C'mon, we have some things to explain!" Yuffie said, leading the group to the same house where they'd learned of Maleficent in the first place. Walking in, they saw that Aerith, Cid, and Leon were already there. Sora wordlessly handed the Navigation Gummi to Cid, who nodded and pocketed it. Aerith then handed the translated pages of the report, giving the group their own copies. When Link got his, he looked down at the first page, he read what it said:

"_Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.  
__That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that.  
__I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand.  
__I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart .I have witnessed it many times.  
__Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?  
__How does it come to affect us so?  
__As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness."__  
_

Link looked back up at Aerith.

"Hmmm... the darkness in people's hearts, eh? Ansem feared the darkness in peoples' hearts..." Link muttered. Aerith nodded.

"Yes, he did. He felt that the darkness in peoples' hearts could destroy a world. However, it gets more interesting..." Aerith said. Link continued reading...

"_It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:  
__Extract the darkness from a person's heart.  
__Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.  
__Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.  
__The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle.  
__Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?_"_  
_

This time, it was Sora that had the realization.

"You mean, he discovered the Heartless by accident?" he asked. Leon nodded.

"Yeah. Creatures born of darkness. They weren't known as Heartless then, but they are now." The group continued reading.

"_The shadows that crawl beneath the castle... Are they the people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond my imagination?  
__All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries of the heart.  
__Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name. Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless._"_  
_

There wasn't much that needed explaining. Ansem had simply named the creatures of his studies. Link looked up, after re-reading one part of the report.

"No emotions? Are they still intelligent, though?" he asked. Leon simply gestured for him to read on.

"_The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.  
__I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?  
__It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?_"_  
_

Link looked up again.

"Intelligence without emotion? I never thought such a thing was possible. I'm inclined to believe that it's probably just an instinct. You know, I need hearts to live, so I'll take hearts..." Link said. Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah, that's what we thought, until we read the next report..." she said. The way her statement trailed off kept the group reading.

"_To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence.  
__It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?_"_  
_

Donald and Goofy looked up first.

"Gawrsh! Sounds like he found the Keyhole, a-hyuck!" Goofy said. Sora looked up.

"You know, I've seen a door like that... when Riku and I were little, we saw a door like that. We couldn't open it, though... and I saw it again... on that night." Sora said. Link nodded.

"I think we can say that it's the same type of door. What I want to know was how Ansem kept that Heartless from just taking the world's heart, though?" However, Link kept reading.

"_I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance.  
__Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I could soar off and find out! Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow.  
__But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny place._"

Sora looked up when Donald started speaking.

"So, he finally discovered what happened... We only know because of what happened when King Mickey did the same thing." Donald said.

"_There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart.  
__As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless.  
__This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially._"_  
_

This page had a very familiar marking. Link looked up.

"Those markings... those are artificial Heartless?" Link asked. Cid nodded.

"Yeah, and we think Maleficent has found the machine and is using them to churn out an endless amount of Heartless." Cid told them. Link handed back the pages.

"Is that all you have for us?" Link asked. Aerith nodded.

"Yes, but there are still seven more pages of research. We believe you'll find them in your travels." The group nodded, and left. Just as they entered Cid's shop after a few hours, Cid pulled Link aside.

"Here, I want you to have something that was brought into the shop a few days ago. I managed to fix it up for ya." Cid said, pulling out a piece of chain mail armor. Link took it, and saw...

"Is that... the Hyrulean Royal Family seal?" Link asked. Cid shrugged.

"All I know is, I was asked to repair it, but then the guy said he didn't want it." Link nodded, and donned the chain mail underneath his tunic. He then headed out to the Gummi Ship and the group headed toward their next destination...

* * *

Unknown Location

The ever-diminishing group sat around their table. Now, they were starting to get worried. Where would this troublesome group head next? Maleficent came, answering the dreaded question.

**"Clayton, you'll be next. Stop them in any way necessary." **The hunter nodded, polishing his gun, and stepping into a Corridor of Darkness. Oogie Boogie and Jafar sighed. They would be safe... for now.

* * *

Deep Jungle

The group landed the Gummi Ship in a heavily-forested area. As soon as they stepped out, they were ambushed by a man. However, he looked nothing like a normal person. He wore only a tattered brown loincloth and his brown hair was styled in dreadlocks. He started grunting and hooting at them.

"I'm sorry... but I don't understand you..." Sora said. The man grunted a bit more, and then a woman's voice shouted out of the forest.

"Tarzan! Settle down!" the four looked to see the woman coming out of the forest. Tarzan ran over to her on all fours.

"Jane! Strangers!" the man said. Jane nodded.

"I see. I have to apologize for Tarzan. He was raised by the local gorillas. My name is Jane, as you'd heard. I'm here to study the gorillas with -" Jane was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

"What was that?" Link asked.

"That would be Clayton. He's a hunter, but he seems so intent on harming the gorillas." Jane said. Tarzan, meanwhile, took off toward where the gunshot had come from. "TARZAN!" she cried out, following him. The group followed after. When they arrived, they saw Tarzan and Jane surrounded by several Heartless, including Shadows, Soldiers, Red Nocturnes, and three others that looked like them. Sora quickly announced that they were Blue Rhapsodies, which were the opposite of Red Nocturnes; Yellow Operas, which used and absorbed Thunder-based magic and were weak to all other kinds of magic; and Green Requiems, which healed any allies and absorbed all magic. The Heartless seemed to be protecting a man in a hunting outfit and holding a gun.

"Welcome, pesky heroes. I am Clayton. Heartless, attack them!" the hunter said. The group readied themselves as the Heartless rushed at them.


End file.
